Peterson Hal - Chucks!: the phenomenon of Converse: Chuck Taylor All Stars

Copyright 2007, 2016 by Hal Peterson

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by DILON

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-0221-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-0258-5

Printed in China

Contents

Introduction

W HAT ARE CHUCKS ? If you have never owned a pair, you may be asking this question. Chucks is the popular slang term for the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star basketball shoe, the worlds most enduring and popular athletic footwear. People who are dedicated to wearing chucks never just call them sneakers; chucks have always been a step apart from common or generic athletic shoes.

The anatomy of a pair of high-top chucks.

The basic design of a typical pair of high-top chucks is simple yet brilliant. You start with two rubber outer soles with a unique pattern of lines and diamonds underneath half-moon toe caps, attach two-layer canvas uppers and a tongue to each outer sole, add a spongy rubber and fabric insole, and then connect them all together with a white outer wrap accented with colored piping and a toe guard with more embedded diamonds and lines. Each shoe has seven, eight, or nine pairs of metal eyelets that are used to hold the flat, stretchable shoelaces, plus two on the inside for ventilation. The shoes are completed with double rows of stitching along the edges, below the eyelets, and up the back, and ankle support is provided by a third piece of canvas. A circular patch made of thin rubber containing a bright blue star, the words Converse All Star, and the signature of Chuck Taylor is glued to the inside ankle point of each shoe. A heel patch on the back of each shoe has a star set between the words All and Star. Their intricate geometric patterns and shapes, durability and functionality, and sleek modern look make your pair of chucks a perfect example of the Art Deco style that was fashionable in America and Europe at the time chucks were first designed and manufactured.

Chucks are an American classic; they are recognized around the world. A pair of chucks is housed in the Smithsonian, but the shoes are also still worn by millions of people who consider them to be contemporary fashion. First sold in 1917, the shoes evolved to their present look over the next several decades. During this time, three main modelsan all-black canvas high-top, a 1936 Olympicsinspired white high-top with red and blue trim, and an all-black leather high-topwere manufactured. After World War II, the black canvas shoes were changed from their monochrome design to the present black-and-white look, which features white laces, toe caps, and outer wraps in contrast to the black canvas uppers. By 1948, All Stars had the same appearance as the core high-top models produced today. In 1957, the low-cut All Star oxford model was introduced.

1936 Converse ad for Chuck Taylor All Stars.

In their first five decades, Converse All Stars became established as the premier model of basketball shoe, extensively promoted by a man named Charles Chuck Taylor. Taylor was a skilled basketball player, clinician, and coach who made some significant design changes to the shoes after he came to work for Converse in 1921. Taylor was rewarded for his efforts in the 1930s when his name was added to the product and his signature was placed on its ankle patch. The 1940s, 50s, and 60s were the glory years for the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star. Almost all high school, college, and professional teams wore Converse Olympic white, black leather, or black canvas basketball shoes.

Charles Chuck Taylor around the time of his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1969, Taylor was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and later that year he passed away from a heart attack. Maybe this was a premonition of the dramatic changes that were coming to the athletic shoe industry. In the 1970s, competition from new companies such as Nike, Reebok, and adidas made inroads into the dominance of the Converse Company. Without the tireless salesmanship of Chuck Taylor, the company lost market share to its competitors and their new technological high-performance innovations. Basketball teams stopped wearing Converse shoes in favor of other brands. As a result, the role of the Chuck Taylor All Star began to evolve. In the last three decades of the twentieth century, and into the twenty-first century, chucks have been known more as a leisure and lifestyle shoe, now available in hundreds of different colors and patterns and in high-top, low-cut, slip-on, and knee-high styles.

Chucks are a true unisex shoe; they have always been a basketball shoe for women as well as men. These days, chucks are equally popular among men and women as a fashion statement. Liana Aghajanian, a young newspaper reporter, once described chucks to me as the great unifier. From film celebrities to the kid next door, business professionals to musicians in rock bands, guys in college to teenage girls who cruise the mall looking for the latest models, chucks are proudly worn by people from many different age groups and demographic categories. What they have in common is their love and affection for the comfort and look of these shoes, along with their desire to wear them as much as possible.

Christmas card snapshot for the Tom Andrews family.

Corporate IT team for SWCA wearing their chucks.

After starting The ChucksConnection (www.chucksconnection.com), a website for enthusiasts of the Chuck Taylor shoe to exchange photographs and information, I discovered that there was a lot more to the story of the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star than people lacing up different models. Chucks are a phenomenon in our society and have had a cultural impact that has been noted in our visual and print media. They have influenced fashion, music, and sports in America and throughout the world. As our information about chucks has expanded, thanks to the contributions of many devoted chucks fans throughout the world, these subjects have become well documented on The ChucksConnection website. Throughout this book, conclusions from this research will be presented.