107 Years on, How Is Converse's Chuck Taylor Still the Youth Culture All-Star?
The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star is one of the oldest sneakers, period. Isn't it crazy that it's still worn to this day, barely changed at all? Like, anyone wearing waffle-soled Nike shoes is repping a modern remake but the Converse Chuck Taylor of today is only moderately improved upon the original that debuted over 107 years ago.
Really, the only major update is who's wearing it.
Originally a basketball sneaker, the Chuck Taylor All-Star's unassuming shape inspired its adoption by basically every era of youth culture that followed. It was worn by '50s greasers, '60s flower children, '70s Ramones clones, '80s mall-walkers, '90s grunge icons, and every generation ever since.
As of October 2024, that holds true. In that month alone, Converse's signature sneaker was cosigned by a veritable who's-who of today's youth culture touchstones.
I'm talking the queen of brat summer Charli XCX, longtime Nike partner Billie Eilish (Converse is owned by Nike), and Tyler, the Creator, who issued both a collaborative set of sneakers and signed on Converse as "the official shoe partner" of his 2024 Camp Flog Gnaw festival.
All while Kamala Harris, symbolic of America's youth vote, has made the Chuck Taylor her signature sneaker.
We all know that Chuck Taylor is the youthcore shoe. It's never been clearer, in fact. But why is it the youthcore shoe? How can a silhouette designed literally a century ago still be relevant to the people setting the pace of contemporary culture?
In a piece for the New York Times' Athletic last year, the appeal of the Chuck Taylor was charted from wrestlers to skaters to hip-hop OGs, reflecting on what made the shoe such "a reliable choice" for all comers.
But I don't know if even that in-depth exploration parsed the factors that amplify the Chucks' resonance beyond mere pop culture.
I put it down to the shape above all else. High- and low-top Chucks are made incredibly versatile by their innate flatness, creating a profile that's universally flattering and easy to pair with basically any pants.
Whereas other timeless classics, like Nike's Air Force 1 and adidas' Superstar, wear a bit of heft, the Chuck Taylor's slim shape makes it a perfect partner to basically anything.
It's the same sort of appeal behind the red-hot adidas Samba, itself a low-profile masterpiece. But Converse's Chuck Taylor retains that same sort of versatility across all of its sizes, even the recently reborn wild ones.
The Chuck Taylor's rubber sole and canvas upper are also incredibly hardy, though not quite as bulky as an all-leather alternative. This makes them an ideal all-day anywhere-goes kinda shoe.
And Chucks are practically begging for some wear and tear. A brand-new pair is almost too clean — like Vans' skate shoes, these things always look better with some personality.
Now all this pontification relates to the visual and tangible aspects of the Chuck, because the history of Converse's most famous shoe has been so well-trod already. In fact, I actually think that the shoe's legacy, as impressive as it is, doesn't really plays all that much into the shoes' popularity.
Yes, the agelessness of the Chuck Taylor activates some subconscious recognition but its impact doesn't come down to its age.
It goes beyond the Chuck Taylor being worn by basically everyone who's ever been anyone throughout modern history, That helped normalize the Chuck Taylor a staple, sure. But, crucially, it's that the Chuck Taylor was historically always worn by kids.
Both affordable and stylish, the Chuck Taylor is widely ingrained as a back-to-school staple, an old friend loaded with nostalgia and all those attached fuzzy feelings. Back when the world was new and exciting, you greeted it wearing Converse. The great equalizer!
As such, its reclamation at the hands of the most famous youth culture idols of our time was inevitable. The folks who best represent newness and intrepid adventurousness for Gen Z and Alpha were destined to find their way to the unpretentious shoe that started it all.
Because everyone who's ever shaped tomorrow has, at one point, worn Chuck Taylors. It just so happens that all the people doing that right now are all doing it at the same time.
