I couldn’t tell you the first time I wore a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. I do know that I haven’t stopped wearing them. And neither have many, many others worldwide.
Odds are you have owned a pair. Your parents probably did, too. Even their parents probably rocked Chucks. I started back in the 1980s, growing up in South Central Los Angeles and Long Beach. They were about $30 back then.
I saw my favorite rappers wear them and mention them in songs. My peers wore them. They looked good with Dickies or denim. Some of my friends opted for the low-top version, high socks and shorts. Those who liked skateboarding and surfing wore them, too.
As I viewed my collection of Chucks, I wondered why I, and so many other people, continue to wear them. It’s nothing fancy: canvas with a rubber sole. It’s inexpensive — you won’t find a standard pair of Chucks sold on the secondary market for hundreds of dollars. Yet, a shoe that retails for about $65 remains a staple in fashion and culture.
Everyone from celebrities to the average citizen wears them … but why?
“It’s still the greatest shoe of all time: it transcends culture,” said Jeremy Kirkland, host of the “Blamo!” podcast, which discusses aspects of fashion. “It transcends every breadth of American culture,…
