Chuck Taylor All-Stars 1667713 226097066 2008-07-16T20:28:25Z 68.50.60.186 /* Controversy */ {{Unreferenced|date=November 2007}} {{Original research|date=September 2007}} [[Image:A classic Black pair of Converse All Stars resting on the Black & White Ed. Shoebox (1998-2002).JPG|right|thumb|300px|Chuck Taylor All-Stars]] [[Image:40DifferentConverseVariations.JPG|right|thumb|300px|Miscellaneous All-Stars]] '''Chuck Taylor All-Stars''', or '''Converse All-Stars''', also referred to as "'''Chucks''',"<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.converse.com/ | title= Converse.com | accessdate=2007-11-11}}</ref> ' are [[canvas]] and [[rubber]] [[shoes]] produced by [[Converse (company)|Converse]]. They were first produced in 1917 as the "'''All-Star'''," Converse's attempt to capture the [[basketball]] shoe market. They were not particularly popular until [[basketball player]] [[Chuck Taylor (salesman)|Chuck Taylor]] adopted them as his preferred shoe. He was impressed with the design so he became the shoe's leading salesman. After proposing a few changes to the shoe, the shoe got its current name and Chuck Taylor's signature on its ankle patch. Consumers demanded more variety from the shoe - particularly with respect to colors in order to match basketball teams - so colored and patterned shoelaces became popular to complement the two colors, black and white, available before [[1966]]. Afterwards, more colors and styles became available. Low-top or "[[Oxford shoe|Oxford]]", [[high-top]], and later knee-high, versions were produced. More materials were offered for the construction, including [[leather]], [[suede]], [[vinyl]], [[denim]], and [[hemp]]. Some versions of the shoe were offered without laces, held up instead by elastic. These new versions of the shoe were also co-designed by Chuck Taylor, just before his death in [[1969]]. A full biography of Chuck Taylor was published by [[Indiana University Bloomington|Indiana University]] Press in March 2006 under the title ''Chuck Taylor, All Star: The True Story of the Man Behind the Most Famous Athletic Shoe in History'', with a foreword by the retired college [[basketball]] [[Coach (basketball)|coach]] [[Dean Smith]]. When Converse was bought by [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]] and operations were moved from the [[United States]] to overseas, the design saw a few alterations. The fabric is no longer 2-ply cotton canvas but 1-ply "textile" and many wearers have noticed different patterns of wear. The shoes are available in several core colors, seasonal colors, and a variety of print styles. In the 1950s the shoes became popular within the [[greaser (subculture)|greaser]] subculture and amongst many fans of [[rockabilly]]. Fans of [[punk rock]] have adopted the shoe as a fashion trend since the late 1970s and many popular punk rock bands, such as the [[Ramones]], have supported the trend by wearing the sneakers. All-Stars became popular again in the '90s [[grunge]] culture, especially in the early '90s days of [[G-funk]]. There has been a recent re-adoption of them in modern [[punk rock]] and [[emo]] fashion. They have appeared in numerous films and videogames, as well as TV shows. ==Popularity== Despite the major setbacks for Converse in recent times{{Fact|date=May 2008}}, the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star is the most successful shoe in history, and has enjoyed recent popularity thanks to a resurgence of [[old school]] trends. By the turn of the 21st century, over 750 million pairs had been sold worldwide. They no longer seem to be worn by their original target market of basketball players (at least not in the professional sphere) who have moved on to more modern shoes, but instead they are now marketed to the mainstream teenager. Some are so enthusiastic about the sneakers that they have a vast, ever-growing collection. Since the turn of the century, particularly since 2005, Converse sneakers have become increasingly popular, with a growing market. Originally seen as being worn by those in the rock music scene, the market is growing with various, younger scenes, some based on a sub-culture (rock still being popular, especially with the growing [[emo]] and [[skateboarding]] scene); the Chuck Taylors are also becoming more popular with [[hip hop]] scenes, [[pop music]] scene and fashion in general. Many Chuck Taylor owners are those who have owned the shoes in the past, and most own more than one pair, as recently many more colors are now produced than before. One other place in which the shoe is quite popular is in the sport of [[powerlifting]], where the flat soles of the shoe make for a more stable base than normal styles of sneakers whose heel is usually thicker than the toe of the shoe, and which often have cushioning that absorbs and therefore wastes some of the force exerted to move the weight. Many powerlifters state the lack of elevation in the heel provides better support during [[Squat (exercise)|squats]] and [[Deadlift|deadlifts]]. Moreover, the lack of elevation reduces the range of motion during the deadlift, often allowing more weight to be lifted by shortening the distance the barbell must be moved. <nowiki></nowiki> ==Chuck Taylors and fashion== [[Image:Emo Shoes.jpg|thumb|left|210px|Beaten up, written-on All Stars popular in rock scenes]] [[Image:ConverseChuckTaylorFridaKahlo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Chuck Taylor All Star Special Edition Of [[Frida Kahlo]], a mexican painter]] Chuck Taylors saw another upswing in popularity in the early 1990s. Some may attribute this growing trend to a higher awareness of such fashions as grunge -- an outgrowth of some of the same rock-oriented youth cultures that have kept an affinity for the shoes since (at least) the late '70s/early '80s punk and new wave eras. The recent increases in numbers of colors may also have led to the market for Chuck Taylors growing, due to various owner- or factory-based customizations of the shoe through color, use of stylized [[shoelaces]], and through drawing or writing on the rubberized parts. The customization of Chuck Taylors is highly popular with the rock scene, especially, but not limited to, teenage girls, with many drawing/writing on the shoes, putting mismatching laces in the shoes, or wearing odd shoes (often two differently colored Chuck Taylors, or a Chuck Taylor and a different shoe) -- all styles fairly common among wearers of the shoes over the past three decades. However, the original trend of wearing the low-rise shoes (in white) and writing on the rubberized part can be traced back to early as 1972, with the height of the fashion amongst junior high school girls being between 1973-1975. In addition to writing on the shoes, young girls in some areas also interlaced ordinary jingle bells onto the laces, making jingling sounds whenever they walked down the corridors of their local junior high schools. Converses also are an inspiration in the video game industry. ==Controversy== Although Chuck Taylors are, along with [[Dr. Martens]], still closely associated with [[punk fashion]], punks have been the target of criticism for wearing a shoe that is ultimately manufactured by [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], a company that has been accused of producing their shoes in [[third-world]] "[[sweatshop]]s" (since 2003). Because of Nike's alleged practices, some see wearing Converse shoes as being at odds with [[Punk subculture|punk's]] general association with [[left-wing politics]], particularly [[anarchism]] and some forms of [[revolutionary socialism]]. Many punks now wear sweatshop-free imitations, such as those made by the [[Blackspot Anticorporation]] or [[No Sweat Apparel]], so as to avoid such an ideological conflict. One can recognize a pair of pre-Nike era All-Stars by the "Made in U.S.A."-marking found in the heels of the American made All-Stars, but this part of the heel patch usually wears out somewhat quickly. ==References== <references/> ==External links== *[http://converse.com Converse website] {{Nike}} [[Category:Nike brands]] [[Category:Classic trainers|Converse All Star]] [[Category:1917 introductions]] [[Category:1960s fashion]] [[Category:1990s fashion]] [[Category:2000s fashion]] [[da:Converse All-Star]] [[de:Chuck Taylor All Star]] [[fr:Chuck Taylor All Star]] [[it:Chuck Taylor All-Stars]] [[he:נעלי אולסטאר]] [[nl:Chuck Taylor All-Stars]] [[ja:コンバース・オールスター]] [[pt:All Star (calçado)]] [[ru:Chuck Taylor All-Stars]] [[fi:Converse All Star]] [[sv:All-Stars]]