They can be worn clean or dirty. I prefer mine clean.
Converses have been around for ages and that’s all because of one man…Mr Marquis Mills Converse. He da man!
The All Star Revolution
It all began when the Converse company designed footwear specifically for netball and football players back in the 1910s. Charles (Chuck) Taylor started wearing them in his basketball matches in 1917. He then became a salesman for the company where he improved the shoe’s design. 1923, after Chuck Taylor made improvements to the shoe, then, in the 1930s it was re-branded to Chuck Taylor All Stars where the company decided to incorporate his name onto the ankle patches that displayed the Converse All Star logo, however no commissions were made after lending his name to the company.
Back in the days, the shoe had three main styles – a monochromatic shoe with a black canvas upper and black rubber soles, an all white shoe with blue and red trim, and an all black leather and rubber shoe. The shoe was redesigned again after World War II where they added toe guards, laces and outer wraps white, which transformed into the iconic black and white Converse All Stars of today.
Now, Converses come in a variety of colors, styles, prints and fabrics. You can even design your own!
Converse in Hip-Hop
Drake wears them. Lil Wayne wears them. Even Jay Z wears them.
But no one can ever rock Converses the way Wiz Khalifa does.
The hip-hop star was soo obsessed with the famous footwear that he now has his own collection called… (wait for it)… “Chuck Taylor All Star Wiz Khalifa” collection – how original. The collection features 12 new styles which represents the artist’s rebellious style.
However, his love for the brand doesn’t stop there. He even has his own record label called Taylor Gang Records. This includes the likes of Ty Dolla $ign, Chevy Woods and Project Pat…. yeah, I’ve never heard of these people either. In a couple of his songs he does reference Converses, “Gucci, Chuck Tays, I don’t f*** with no Prada” – Shame (2009). I see he’s been doing a little name dropping there too!
So there you have it. Converses are everywhere! And I’ve now declared them one of my favourite pair of shoes, because they go with everything and anything, and they’re soooo comfy. The downside is, they’re not the best winter wear….I learnt that the hard way.
Why don’t you check out the new Wiz Khalifa collection and tell me what you think.
The Hip Hop Hip 