Converse Stars & Their Trainers

Famous Faces With Iconic Laces

It’s no surprise that Converse footwear has been embraced by high profile ‘celebrities and stars’. People in the spotlight strive to either stand out using their own bespoke style or alternatively look upon particular brands to help sponsor them or achieve their stylish image. You can see this pattern emerge throughout history, with countless celebrities endorsing their favourite brands, some are only in it for the money whereas others simply want to showcase their edge and create an identity that everyone can distinguish them with.

Dr Martens, Nike and Adidas, are all popular shoe brands that have absorbed the tastes of famous figures, and once these big brands catch wind of celebrity interest it can sometimes result in cool collaborations and some sort of hook up. For an example, The Stone Roses front man turn solo artist Ian Brown has for a number of years built a special bond with Adidas Originals & Superstars. The cool ‘King Monkey’ from Manchester has had his very own designs and signatures etched on to various different ranges, becoming available to buy for loyal fans of the musician.

This same sentiment can be discovered across the board and the Converse connection with musicians, actors and other ‘generally’ famous people is easily found. Whether it was wearing Converse shoes to prove a point, create an identity or they actually collaborated with the company to make exclusive footwear, there are some stand out examples of renowned people celebrating and wearing Converse.

1) The 1936 Olympics - American Basketball Team

 

The 30s was a massive year for Basketball. Not only did a man by the name of Chuck Taylor help to customise and improve the famous Converse All Star boots but he also aided the transformation of the first stitchless leather basketball. Such bouncing success saw Basketball become an official sporting competition in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics.

This new event would see the US Basketball team win gold against Canada (19-8) with the entire squad wearing Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars. For the whole team to all be wearing the same brand and to win the competition did great things to boost the high performance appeal of Converse shoes.

2) Hollywood’s Rebellious Actor James Dean

With only three films to his name James Dean is still regarded as a major popular icon. His unfortunate premature death was a shock to many as this Hollywood actor started to become one of America's most celebrated cultural figures. His turbulent childhood, joy for motorsports and his role in the film Rebel Without A Cause saw Dean become an idol for mid-50 teens.

The fast paced and dangerous lifestyle as well as his experimental ethos made James Dean the perfect ambassador for Converse shoes. He didn’t sign any contracts, all it took was a picture of Dean wearing white Converse sneakers with some jeans for infatuated teens to follow this relaxed Hollywood image.

3) The Ramones & Kurt Cobain & N.W.A

Kick starting the American Punk Rock era The Ramones styled themselves on the greasy look - long hair, leather jackets and quite a lot of the time Converse shoes. With the popularity of the Ramones reaching fever pitch it was no wonder that fans of rock and punk music in the 70s turned to Converse as their shoe of choice.

Kurt Cobain was notorious for alternative and relaxed clothing. He didn’t concentrate on fitting into a certain genre or style, he just made good music and wore what he wanted – including ripped up jeans and baggy striped shirts. This grungy look was almost always paired with a pair of Converse shoes. Nearly every photograph featuring Cobain shows him standing in a pair of All Stars. We salute you Kurt!

N.W.A, a million miles away from the punk music scene but this West Coast rap outfit still adopted Converse to some extent. Their gangland stance, F the police attitude and explicit approach to life on the streets of Compton blew them into the public domain. Baggy clothes, baseball caps, gold chains and the occasional Converse shoe became their trademark image. Converse Oxfords were well recognised as an attractive footwear choice for West Coast living, later becoming embraced eastwards as well.

 

4) Wiz Khalifa

A recent fan of the All Stars legacy is American rapper Wiz Khalifa. Starting his career in 2005, Khalifa quickly rose to fame in around 2009; it was this period when he penned a deal with Atlantic records after a succession of impressive mixtape releases. He is known for dressing dapper and concentrates on keeping up his cool urban appearance.

He doesn’t pull any punches for his love for Converse trainers with many references to style, image and Converse featuring within his lyrics. His shout outs to the brand didn’t go unnoticed as Wiz Khalifa brought out his own range of Converse sneakers to the market. The Wiz Khalifa Chuck Taylor All Star Collection is full of vivid colour and verve.

We’re nearing the end of my second blog post on Reaching Out To The Converse Generation. Many of you have probably read this and thought ‘what about so and so’, well you’re right – I haven’t mentioned pivotal Converse figures such as Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Kevin “KJ” Johnson, Larry Bird, Latrell Sprewell, Dennis Rodman, Theresa Edwards, Elton Brand, AC/DC, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Kobe Bryant.

So many people have helped to pave the path for Converse to successfully keep treading on. If you want to name any others that I may have missed out then please leave some comments and enlighten us. Otherwise, until next time! Peace out. Duncan

Post One: Unique Examples Of The Converse Cultural Impact