Did you know that 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the famous Converse All-Star high-top trainers? I didn’t either until I started Googling “Converse” when I was looking for a gift for my husband. A quick search not only brought up a whole host of classic designs to choose from but also a whole lot of history about the brand itself. I’m such a geek when it comes to gaining knowledge about the things I buy so I delved deeper to find out more. Read on to find out what I discovered about Converse…
Let’s take it back to the very beginning; The Converse Rubber Shoe Company (to give the brand it’s full, original title) opened its doors back in 1908 in the US, making all kinds of athletic shoes before specialising in tennis shoes in 1915. This early success led the company to develop new styles of sports shoes with rubber soles… I think you know where I’m going with this!
It was in 1917 that the Converse All-Star Basketball shoes were introduced. And when basketball player Chuck Taylor put his name behind the brand in 1920, the high-top style really started to take off. It was no longer just a shoe for playing sports in. Oh no.
Over the years the iconic design has become the footwear of choice for off-duty fashionistas and is the ultimate in casual cool. Fans started customising their All-Stars to make them their own and the style was reproduced in countless new fabrics, patterns and colours. Nowadays you can even have your own design made just for you by Converse using the customizer tool on their website.
Enter my £50 giveaway below…
Anyway, back to my own quest to find the perfect pair of Converse for my husband. I searched online and found a pair of Cons Star Player trainers that I loved, and that I knew my husband would wear all the time. These grey ‘low-tops’ (is that a thing?) are made in suede with the classic hardwearing rubber sole. I love the subtle suede star and even the blue stripe in the laces is ideal for my electric-blue-loving hubby. His face was a picture when I handed over his gift and he opened up these box-fresh trainers.
But I didn’t stop at just one pair of Converse. And that’s because I spotted a pair of All-Stars in denim. Uhoh. Who can walk away from a pair of high tops in denim? I knew that these shoes might get a little less wear than the day-to-day grey trainers, but I loved the colour. These ones are a tribute to the 70s design of the shoe and the burgundy stripe around the sole means that they’ll go with almost everything in my husband’s vintage wardrobe.
Plus, they’ve got that classic star logo printed on the inside ankle of the shoes. The Chuck Taylor signature was added to the star in 1932 and the iconic design has remained the same ever since. It was in 2015 that the Chuck Taylor All-Star II was released. The shape of the shoe remained the same but the sole was redesigned by Nike to make it more lightweight and a more premium grade of canvas was used to make the uppers.
How would you like to get a pair of classic Converse for yourself? I’m giving one lucky reader the chance to win a £50 shopping voucher for Mainline Menswear so that you can invest in a pair of trainers – or anything else for that matter! The voucher can be spent on ANYTHING you like on the MainlineMenswear.co.uk website so have a rummage in the sale section where you can find Converse from as little as £22.28, or put the voucher towards a pair of Levis or a North Face tee, or any of the other designer brands on the website. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below – good luck!
Giveaway open to UK residents only, competition runs from 7th March 2017 – 26th March 2017.
Some items in this blog post have been gifted to me and the pink links indicate a gifted product, affiliate link or information source. All thoughts and opinions in this post are based on my own experience and I am not responsible for your experience 🙂
77 responses
Congratulations Jayne, hope you enjoy spending the voucher! 🙂
I’ve just found out that I won this prize, thanks you so much. xx
My trainers x
I live in my converse hi-tops which I love I have a tonne of super hero pairs
Boots
Flip flops (at home) or trainers, comfy & casual!
my favourite are comfy flats
comfy trainers
I love any shoes that are comfortable yet look good 🙂
casual comfy trainers
I like comfortable flats
I love brogues , despite where they started they really can be dressed up or down .
trainers, or anything flat – haven’t done heels for a very long time
I like shoes which look good with either jeans or skirts 🙂
Ankle boots
Converse and slippers!
My favourite style of footwear is trainers.
I like the converse trainer style
Simple flat shoes, e.g. ballets 🙂
I love my black sketchers they are so comfortable I think my current ones are about the 4th pair of the same ones
Converse or my DMs dependant on the weather
Converse or Adidas is the only thing i wear
I love a comfy sandal x
At the moment it’s Sketcher’s pumps as I’m suffering from Plantar fasciitis so need the soft cushioning…wont be in heels again for a while that’s for sure!
converse type trainers
classic comfy trainers
Low top trainers or pumps
It is actually converse, just a plain white pair, so comfy!
Nothing more comfortable than a good pair of trainers.
I prefer wearing trainers x
Trainers for me.
ballet pumps!
I love skate trainers or simple flats!
Anything soft & squidgy that doesn’t make my feet hurt
ILOVE SANDALS
Flat, comfy but still stylish.
ideal for a lazy sunday afternoon
I love wedge sandals because they give you height, they look great but you can wear them all day without your feet killing you
My favorites are my Nike Air Max, they are perfect for all the walking and running I do.
trainers
Love trainers especially Adidas. If I could get away with wearing them every single day I would.
I do love my converse in the summer as they are so comfy.
I love toe-post sandals..weather permitting!
I adore my black Ankle Boots
I love boots and high top trainers 😀 😀
I love ballerina shoes, but also love heels 😉
I love ankle boots – I just find that they go with so many things and can be stylish and casual at the same time 🙂
I love my sparkly heels.
Comfy trainers
I like flat pumps.
I tend to hang out in trainers most of the time, then style it up at the weekend with some converse or loafers or espadrilles depending on what I’m doing!
I love my walking shoes
Oh my, I never actually knew that converse had been around for so long! It was great to read this post and learn a little bit more about its history. I love both of these shoes! I’ve entered the giveaway, fingers crossed!
Heather Xx
100waysto30.co.uk
I live in casual footwear….in the winter it’s Ugg boots and the summer sees me in converse
I love my Connies as much as i love my heels!
Any!!! I love all footwear from my Connies (Converse) to my heels.
I love all metallic shoes, whether it be shiny gold heels or silver trainers
sme comfy converses
My favourite type of shoe is definitely converse! I can wear mine all year round and they last forever!
Kelly Ellen Hirst
I love Converse classics and practically live in them
I like to wear boots or trainers, one thing I don’t like about summer is having to wear sandals.
What are my favourite shoes? These are! I’ve been looking for those shoes, or something like them, for ages. I’m just not very good at shopping 🙁 The nearest I could find were in Primark, sigh. A pale imitation.
sneakers
I live in my trainers
Anything flat (I’m very tall), casual and comfortable
I love Converse and Chelsea Boots
I love sneakers so much! My favorite converse are a pair I purchased a few years ago that have platform, they are so perfect because they are comfortable and make me look taller since i am 1.60m only!
Love
Pili
Records of my Troubles
slip on boots
Trainers or my Uggs. Both are so comfortable.
has to be sneakers
Mine is trainers because I find them so comfy on my feet. Thanks for the giveaway.
all shoes are my favourite shoes
Anything flat & comfortable I can’t be doing with heels 🙂 x
slip on boots & trainers….comfy all the way 🙂
I love a wedge, especially on an ankle boot
I like a more classic style and comfortable at the same time.
I love converse ballet shoes!