The Converse, historic sneaker, never went out of fashion
Audio 03:32
During the last presidential campaign in the United States, Kamala Harris (future vice-president) wore Converse sneakers.
© AP / Wilfredo Lee
By: Alexis Bedu Follow
9 mins
Whether low or high, the Converse have always kept the same design and have remained timeless.
It would have sold 800 million since their creation in 1917 in the United States.
The brand, acquired by Nike in 2003, still enjoys immense success around the world, in particular thanks to brand ambassadors such as Kamala Harris.
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It is the most iconic of all: the Chuck Taylor All Star.
From the height of its 104 years, canvas sneakers are still among the most popular and best-selling in the world.
"
It is a timeless
sneaker
,
explains the Toulonnais Bibi AirForceOne, one of the most important sneakers collectors in the south of France,
like the white Nike Air Force One, it is the alpha and omega of basketball. .
It's a classic that never dies.
They have succeeded in constantly renewing themselves, in particular thanks to the collaborations at the moment.
The Chuck Taylor can be worn by children, parents and grandparents in the same family.
And that is unique
!
"
A basketball player-seller to popularize it
Chuck Taylor, at the base, it is a professional basketball player in the years 1920. At the end of his sporting career, recruited by Converse, he toured the universities and high schools of the United States to sell this model of basketball which will end by taking his name. "
Initially, the company called this model the" Converse All Star ", but seeing that customers wanted to buy" Chuck Taylor's sneakers ", they decided to add his name to them,
says Pierre Demoux, author of the book. "
The basketball odyssey. How sneakers have worked on the world
"
is the first model to bear the name of an athlete. Now, most of the big brands have an associated athlete
”.
But Chuck Taylor will not become a millionaire like Michael Jordan.
In his contract with Converse, no percentage of sales was foreseen.
A political tool for Kamala
Harris
Fifty-two years after the basketball player-seller's death, his basketball sells around 80 million pairs each year. It is even found at the feet of personalities like Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States and fan of Converse. By wearing them throughout the electoral campaign last year, it allowed the brand to boost sales, especially among women. “
Maybe people didn't expect to see me with Chuck Taylors. I think it's above all an expression of who we really are,
she explained
on a sneaker special
during the campaign,
everyone has their own Chuck Taylor look
! And I think it's related to the fact that ... we all want to go back to the basics
: ie what we are as a country. No matter what you've done in your life, no matter how old you are, or what language your grandmother spoke, we've all worn Chucks once
. ”
But Kamala Harris mainly used it as a political tool and it turned out to be rather effective according to Pierre Demoux: "
it allowed him to appear as someone of" tendency "and to flirt with a slightly larger audience. . The Converse All Star is the universal model that can reach all categories. She was able to appear as someone modern
”. It is also the demonstration that women and men politicians are now seizing the basketball to refine their image. "
Politics was one of the last strongholds that resisted the invasion of basketball,
underlines Pierre Demoux,
with the example of Kamala
Harris, we can see that these barriers are falling.
We are in the process of passing a milestone and basketball will become a political accessory like any other
”.
After a drop in sales in the 1990s, Converse went bankrupt and was acquired by Nike in 2003. Today, it is estimated that the brand would sell a pair every 3 seconds around the world.
The centenary of canvas and rubber is still rising.
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