It’s a trend that’s defied decades and has become an iconic symbol in society.
Seen on the feet of the ’70s cast of Grease to the ’90s punk rockers of New York, a shoe continues to thrive in yet another decade across the world including Lethbridge.
Converse has continued to remain current and has been kept on the market through every fashion trend for over a century.
According to the official Converse website they started in 1908 where they specialized in galoshes.
They moved to making sneakers while incorporating their rubber in the sole. In 1920 they renamed the shoe to the “All Star” and with that their brand was born.
The All Star sneaker became a versatile piece of the fashion industry.
Musicians, athletes and artists popularized them to the point where the company realized their sneaker had unlimited potential.
Vicki Hegedus, instructor and Chair of Fashion Design at Lethbridge College, feels that when a product reaches iconic status like the All Star shoe has, a company will stick with what’s working, but still needs to tweak it to accommodate the new trends.
“They may have a colour they have never offered, so the guy who has three pairs in his closet still gets tempted to buy because he doesn’t have that colour, said Hegedus. They have to refresh that style a little bit. If they keep it the same they run the risk of saturating the market.”
Raechal Olson, assistant manager of Soft Mac in Park Place Mall, says the sneaker is in high demand and has many aspects for it to remain trendy.
“They’re a real comfortable shoe and really well priced. Footwear can be really expensive in today’s world and to be able buy a good-looking shoe for less than $75 is great,” said Olson. “It’s the reason we sell so many Converse in our store.”
Aside from being affordable, Olson also likes their versatility.
“They can be worn with dress pants, jeans or shorts. They get worn with dresses and are even seen in weddings. They really go with everything,” said Olson.
Makell Hofer, a student at Lethbridge College, owns a pair of All Star high tops and feels that it’s just a really great shoe.
“They look good, it’s a very cool style that can be worn by both genders and are really versatile,” said Hofer.
According to the American website Statista, Converse amounted to just under $1.45 billion U.S. in revenue from 2010 to 2015 and have sold over 800 million pairs of shoes worldwide.