All Star Is Not Just Canvas Shoes.

Poster ads for CONVERSE All Star canvas basketball shoes 60s.

The veteran employee who worked in CONVERSE for 33 years has collected over 800 pairs of All Star canvas shoes with different colors and styles.

In 2003, when Slate magazine columnist Rob Walker learned that CONVERSE was about to be bought by Nike, it was called "what happened?"

Chuck Taylor said in the commentary, "in all sports shoes brand, it is one of the least speculative and flaunting people."

Hours after the announcement, NBC TV and Washington Post interviewed some All Star wandering guys in New York and Washington, including college students, temporary workers and street performers. Many people were angry about buying no CONVERSE products.

However, in Nike's view, this deal is absolutely worth it. CONVERSE overnight became a retro weapon for Nike to fill the blank market of the mid-range sports shoes and casual shoes from a deficit competitor.

The reason is simple. According to the statistics of the sports products marketing association of the United States, only less than 20% of the core consumer of sports products are willing to pay for high-end sports shoes with a price of more than $100. Most buyers have a psychological acceptance of between 20 and 80 dollars. The failure of the "Pump" series in the mid 90s of Reebok is a typical example.

The acquisition of Nike in second years has been rewarded, when the financial quarterly report shows that Nike's total revenue during the same period was $3 billion 600 million, an increase of 18%, of which 4 percentage points came from CONVERSE's contribution.

How did the pair of canvas rubber sneakers, which are 90 years old and steadily maintain 30 thousand pairs of sales per week, become a symbol of American pop culture with Hollywood, hamburgers and jeans?

In early 1908, when Marquis Conways, a British immigrant, built his own "rubber shoes factory in Boston" in Massachusetts town, Marton, it was estimated that his workshop could become a booster for youth rebellious culture in the future.

In fact, the main business of the company is to manufacture rubber protective shoes and rain boots for workers on the industrial line. By the year 1910, CONVERSE has developed into a large enterprise with 350 employees and 4000 pairs of Nissan.

In 1917, the prototype of the first pair of All Star canvas basketball shoes was born in the production workshop of CONVERSE. Keen Marquis Conways realized that outdoor sports such as baseball, rugby and running are becoming the new hot spots of the working class's daily leisure. A pair of lightweight rubber bottom sports shoes are undoubtedly the most popular needs of the mass consumers.

Not only that, but a failed bank financing attempt in that year led to the fact that the idea of trying to turn the company to the production of rubber tire has not been realized. This ensures that "All Star" will continue to be the main product of CONVERSE.

In 1921, "All Star" finally came to its Savior, Chuck Taylor, a member of the US basketball hall of fame.

The high school student came to CONVERSE headquarters in Chicago, hoping that the new sports shoe factory could produce more light and strong sneakers.

Bob Plitz, the sales director, simply hired the little boy who was keen on improving basketball and basketball. He became a CONVERSE salesman. He quickly rebuilt the rubber outsole and added a foot pad. After the upper shoe was raised, CONVERSE gradually defeated Spalding and other sports shoes manufacturers.

Taylor was also given the title of "CONVERSE basketball ambassador", shuttling across all American universities with a Cadillac car loaded with his improved CONVERSE sneakers.

In 1941, CONVERSE became the US military material supplier of World War II, producing military rain boots, military uniform, raincoat, leather jacket and other materials. Chuck himself was also a fitness instructor of the US Army recruits. He took the opportunity to improve All Star slightly and became a designated training shoe for the US Army.

Today, the US military training version, All Star, is still in its original position: all black color matching, enhanced toe in wear proof rubber pits, and tight upper and tight fit of high tube upper.

Throughout the 60s, CONVERSE had a 80% share in the American sports shoes market. Its low price and leather make it a symbol of teenage rebellion and hippy spirit like jeans. In the 1967 graduates, it is not only the silent sound of Simon and the gafeng Kerr band, but also the pair of light brown canvas sports shoes on Duustin Hoffman's feet.

It was in 1935 that CONVERSE made shoes Jack Purcell for the famous badminton player Jack Pessi, with a signboard "Open Laugh" stripes on the toe.

Besides Hoffman, the Beatles' George Harrison and Ringo Starr are also loyal fans of "Jacl Purcell".

In 1976, "Dr. J" Julius Owen brought the CONVERSE "Pro Star" on his feet together with the characteristics of the ABA alliance, such as the explosion head, the tight Jersey, the fancy dribble and the windmill dunk, and into the traditional NBA.

After having monopolized monopolistic position in the American sports shoes market from 60 to 70s, CONVERSE found that its unification had gradually begun to shake.

Although All Star and other shoes are still popular, for example, the "leather Star seamless basketball shoes" All Star Weapon launched in 1986, Adidas, Nike, Reebok and other cutting-edge brands have begun to challenge the position of this boss.

Although the 100 year old shop was about to be shot by a fashionable and heavy Nike in 2003, it was still trying to prove its value in the sports shoes industry: a basketball in the dilapidated and empty stadium, and a basketball jumping on the ground, as if it was controlled by a group of invisible athletes in a fierce competition.

Background music is simply a pair of sneakers rubbing the wooden floor and the breathing of these athletes. A voice says that before money and fame dominated everything, before the trend of Old School and New School, it was only a sport about the nature of basketball and competition, then a big CONVERSE trademark appeared on the screen.

But the high-tech and personalized design promoted by Nike and Adidas seem to be more attractive in the eyes of the new generation of sports teenagers.

Of course, for the supporters of CONVERSE All Star, the sports performance and appearance are not the first choice they choose: from Ivan MacGregor, who runs on a pair of sandy All Star, and runs with Iggy Pop music in the guessing train, by April 9, 1993, Cobain, who was put on the headline of the Seattle times and the black All Star "Nye" singer Kurt Cobain, has become a "middle finger" erected by overspending.

Its low manufacturing cost also led to the thriving of Japanese street brands, such as Vans, Ubiq, which were built by All Star and Air Force1.

Today, like the rock and roll music that had been accepted at the time, All Star also gradually faded away from its original conservatism. Since the late 90s, when the colorful All Star appeared, leather, silk and nylon materials were applied, and laser printing, special city color matching and theme design made All Star a canvas for the industrial era.

Now, the topics we are interested in have not only included the future of All Star, but also who will become the next All Star, Stephen Marbury's $19.95 "Starbury", or the Adbusters "black spot" canvas brand under the banner of "anti Nike, anti Reebok, anti Adidas"?

It is not enough to rely solely on cheap and revolutionary spirit.