Pace Paw Print

Media Credit: www.wikipedia.org The Chuck Taylor signature on all Converse All Stars.

Media Credit: www.wikipedia.org The black and white Chuck Taylor All-Stars.

Chuck Taylor's, Converse, All-Star's, whatever you may know them as. The real name for these famous sneakers is Chuck Taylor All-Stars, but whatever you like to call them is up to you. Converse All-Stars have been around since 1917 and are produced by Converse, which was ultimately bought and manufactured by Nike.

They have had their ups and downs in the fashion world but are proclaimed to be the most successful sneaker in history, selling over 750 million pairs by the 21st century. Recently, they have made a comeback in fashion once again, and like usual, the comeback falls into the teenage and young adult age group.

The reason they are called Chuck Taylor's is because originally, Converse was trying to capture the basketball market. They were not particularly popular, but basketball player Chuck Taylor was so impressed with them, that he became their leading salesman.

After making a few changes, the shoe got its name "Chuck Taylor's" and his signature is on the ankle of every shoe logo. The plain old black material with a white sole is the original style of the famous sneaker. They had two layers of cloth which is now down to only one.

The price of the kicks in 1957 was only $6, but seemed a bit costly for a pair of gym sneakers to the consumers of that era. Now they range from $20 to $100 or more, depending on how intricate a style you prefer.

People started demanding different ones, so in 1966, colors to match teams started being made. Eventually, not only colors were changed, but the high-top and low-top versions started being manufactured. In 1986, the "knee-high" version length came out, which people now fold down every once in a while to change-up the style. Overall, there are the low-tops, high-tops, knee high, and slip ons, with or without laces.

Chuck Taylor also started making the shoes not only out of vinyl, but hemp, leather, suede, and denim as well. In the 1950's, they started becoming most popular with the Rock culture but recently, hip-hop fashion, punk fashion, and everything in between has been drawn to these ageless sneakers.

Even weightlifters and power lifters have a preference for them, claiming that the flat sole makes for a better squat. The shoes are now available in more colors, patterns, and materials than one can imagine. Chuck Taylor even made an official care instructions sheet which informed the buyer to wear good quality socks and to keep them in ventilated areas away from petroleum, because it would deteriorate the rubber.

Many musicians have been known to wear Chuck's in concert, such as Avril Lavigne, Green Day, The Ramones, and The Strokes. Don't be misguided however, because even rappers like Snoop Dogg sport them as well.

On Aug. 23, 2006, The Guinness Book of World Records added in Joshua Mueller of Lakewood, WA as being the person with the largest collection of Chuck Taylor's. At the time he owned 403 unique pairs of the sneakers, which has climbed up to 525 as of this past July.

You can buy Chuck Taylor's in almost any mall, or online at the website. They can be purchased in almost any color, and can go with almost any outfit. For a simple sneaker to become so versatile, it's worth looking in to.

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