The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star is a classic shoe, it’s never been out-of-style. But we haven’t seen it heavily worn in the culture since it held all the indie scene in a chokehold during the Tumblr era of the 2010s. But this season, it might be having a comeback. Tumblr queen Charli XCX starred in the All Star campaign last year, and brands like SF1OG and Charles Jeffrey Loverboy have collabed with Converse for FW25.
The shoe most recently peaked during the 2010s, where the indie sleaze, Tumblr kids would beat their new Converse up for a worn-in look, wearing their high-tops to death. Since then, with the rise of hypebeast limited-edition creps in the late 2010s, which then evolved into the rise of more niche sneakers and elevated shoes like loafers, we’ve seen the Converse low-key fade away.
The All Star was founded in Massachusetts by Marquis Mills Converse in 1917, founder of the Converse Rubber Company, which made all things rubber including tennis shoes. The Chuck Taylor was the company’s first venture into basketball shoes, named after Charles “Chuck” Taylor, who was a salesman at Converse and coach of the company’s basketball team. Everyone started to associate the man with the shoe he was selling, and the name stuck.
Although it started off as a basketball shoe for the first half of the 20th century, the Chuck Taylor evolved into a GOATed lifestyle shoe in the ‘60s and ‘70s – where it was adopted by surfers as it was comfortable and easy to wear on the beach. Eventually the shoe became associated with many subcultures – punks in the ‘70s, hip-hop, skaters and grunge in the ‘90s (donned by the likes of everyone from Kurt Cobain to NWA to the Kids cast), the Chicano “cholo” style in Mexican American communities, the indie and pop scenes of the 2010s.
The All Star has managed to hold a rare seat in fashion, where it’s represented many subcultures while being in the mainstream, while also transcending the trend cycle and being a timeless sneaker choice. Saying that, the shoe has been on the low for the past decade, but this season it looks like it’s back in full force. Converse is making the same moves as the Puma Speedcat did last year: tapping into the culture and collabing with young designers during fashion week.
With so many subcultures on its back and noteworthy collabs through the years, such as Kim Jones, JW Anderson and Feng Chen Wang, Converse can take over the zeitgeist once again. And with the comeback of the sleazy 2010s aesthetic of skinnier, Hedi Slimane silhouettes, the Chuck Taylor will rise to the top – bc honestly it just looks good with skinny jeans.
Featured image Charles Jeffrey Loverboy©
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