sneakers

Converse Chuck Taylor 70: A Sneaker With a Story. by Christopher Loa

@gloriasierra on court with the Chuck Taylor 70 in Tangerine.

It is starting to feel like summer here in Tucson, Arizona and my friends @gloriasierra and @david.tartaglia and I have been slowly adapting as temperatures increase. We were out exploring the university area when we found ourselves on a basketball court and realized we were all wearing Chuck Taylors. This sparked some of our inspiration for the day. This sneaker has been around in some form for 100 years and is one of my personal favorite sneakers to wear in summer. As a kid, I grew up wearing Converse. I always remember watching my dad skate in Chuck Taylors and my mom wear them and wanting to be like them.

I have always loved a good story, narrative or history, especially when attached to something tangible. The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneaker is one of those stories. Converse started life as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in 1908, founded by Marquis Mills Converse in Massachusetts. In 1917 they introduced the All-Star sneaker, later in the 1930's they added Chuck Taylor's name, a member of the Converse All-Stars basketball team, to the ankle patch. Since its inception, this sneaker has gone through many changes including adding an oxford, adding colors, changing logos, and through all of this, it remains one of the most iconic sneakers in the world. Some of the greatest players like Bill Russel, Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson all played professional basketball wearing Converse basketball sneakers, forever cementing Converse in the history of the game.

The "Chuck 70" version is a heritage throwback of the basketball sneaker that was famous on the court in the 1960s and 1970s. It has a more classic look, as well as a lot of premium details such as 12 oz. canvas upper, higher rubber foxing and a classic black heel tab. The sneaker is also more comfortable due to the OthoLite insole.