Converse Chuck 70 SNS Lookbook
The story of the [Chuck Taylor](/sneakers/converse/converse-chuck-taylor) 70 is the story of an icon. Back in 1917, just a few years after the [Converse](/brands/converse) Rubber Shoe Company was founded and shoes had not much to do with leisure sneakers as we know it now, [Converse](/brands/converse) introduced a non-skidding basketball shoe, which was shortly after renamed to “All Star”. Chuck Taylor was hired by Converse in 1921 as a salesman, and was instrumental in spreading the Converse brand and the game of basketball in the U.S. Through the clinics and demonstrations he put on, Taylor became so closely associated with Converse and basketball that it made sense to add his name to the shoe. Chuck Taylor’s name was added to the All Star in 1934. Born into practicality, the canvas silhouette (which has admittedly seen pretty much every fabric that is out there) has left the hardwood and transitioned to be a cultural statement – simply an icon.
Kids back in the ‘60s and ‘70s weren’t interested in the fact the [Converse](/brands/converse) [Chuck Taylor](/sneakers/converse/converse-chuck-taylor) was a performance basketball shoe, they wanted the Chuck for their fit, multi-purpose needs and their bad ass connotations. Much like the way sneakers are consumed today. Oh, and yes, nowadays you see the Comme des Garçons collaborations, the [Undercover](/search?q=Chuck+70+OX+x+Undercover) partnerships and [JW Anderson](/search?q=jw+anderson) joints but with roots deep in arts and music it is hardly surprising that the brand from Boston feels called upon to pay homage to their iconic history. The [Converse Chuck Taylor](/sneakers/converse/converse-chuck-taylor) has always been a canvas for artists, professionals or just youngins that wore their pair to death and that’s what makes the shoe unique, its simplicity. Today, the latest Chuck 70s represent the last time the Chuck Taylor All Star was designed as a performance sneaker.
Back in the ‘70s a pair of sneaker was a symbol of countermovement, unimaginable in today's times but back than trainers were seen as made for workouts or a reflection of bad boys and roughnecks (check the West Side Story movie from 1961) and the rebellious image was cast in stone when Tommy Ramone made the Chucks his go-to footwear, followed by a Kurt Cobain that slept in his Chuck Taylors to influence a whole punk and hardcore generation.
With Dickies and Chucks ruling the West Coast in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, the skate community welcomed the sleek silhouette with wide open arms, because it was robust and flexible, everything you needed for a session in a abandoned empty pool. And yes, today Chuck Taylors are a fashion staple but its credibility stems from those days when you picked a shoe because of its story and the feeling and mindset are preserved with every pair of Chucks you get. In one room you can see different people all wearing Chuck Taylors and none of them is the same, from the person that wears them to the way they look, but to be honest, that’s how we like it.
See below SNS pay homage to the Converse Chuck Taylor 70 in an exclusive lookbook.
Photography: Louise Carrasco
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