Sino ba si Chuck Taylor???

His name rings a bell, right? Araw-araw ko sya nakikita. Paborito ko sya pero di ko sya kilala. Nakita mo na rin siguro ang name nya kung saan-saan.

Yan ako at ang chucks ko. Kung saan-saan na nakarating yan. Syempre dapat kasama si Doraemon. Maraming nagko-collect ng shoes na to. Iba-ibang kulay. design, meron pang personalized. Pero have you asked yourself kung sino ba si Chuck Taylor at bakit Chucks ang tawag sa kanya eh Converse nga ang brand.

At dahil sa ayoko na may tanong na hindi nasasagot, binigyan ko ng chance ang sarili ko na mag-research. Hehehe... At dahil alam kong intrigero at intrigera kayo....read on..

Converse is an American shoe company that has been making shoes since the early 20th century. Ang pasimuno ng company na yan eh si Marquis M. Converse, who was previously a respected manager at a footwear manufacturing firm. He opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company (also known as the Boston Rubber Shoe Company) in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908. Rubber shoe manufacturer ang company na to and they provide winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910, Converse was producing 4,000 shoes daily (wow 4,000 hehe). But it wasn't until 1915 that the company began manufacturing athletic shoes for tennis.

The Chuck Taylor All Star shoe has developed a number of nicknames over the years, such as: "Cons", "Connies", "Convies", "Verses", "Chuckers", "Chucks", "Converse", "Chuckies", "Chuckie T's", or "Chucker Boots" for the higher styles. So bakit nga sya naging Chuck Taylor?

The company's main turning point came in 1917 when the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced. Then in 1921, a basketball player named Charles H. or "Chuck" Taylor (eto na ang salarin na si Chuck Taylor hehe) walked into Converse complaining of sore feet. At dahil sa nagreklamo sya, Converse gave him a job. He worked as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the United States, and in 1923 his signature was added to the All Star patch.

Converse lost much of its apparent near-monopoly from the 1970s onward dahil nagsulputan na ang mga kalaban...Adidas, then Nike, then a decade later Reebok, who introduced radical new designs to the market. Converse found themselves no longer the official shoe of the National Basketball Association, a title they had relished for many years. Then they filed for bankruptcy on January 22, 2001. When the company subsequently changed hands that year, the last factory in the United States was closed. That time, walang kaalam-alam ang mga pinoy na bankrupt na pala ang Converse at bili pa rin tayo ng bili.

On July 9, 2003, the company accepted a $305 million purchase offer from rival Nike.

After Converse was bought by Nike, operations were moved from the United States to overseas, although the design has had few alterations. The fabric is no longer 2-ply cotton canvas but 1-ply "textile" and many wearers have noticed different patterns of wear.

Marami ring nagawa na special edition ng Converse. Like yung Kurt Cobain and the Sailor Jerry green or brown edition, na 2000 lang ang ginawa and Dwyane Wade's signature shoe has several limited edition shoes always are made by the number 3333.

Bottomline: pag nakakita ka ng "pre-nike" Converse shoes na "made in the USA" ang nakalagay, bilihin mo na. Sobrang collector's edition yun at lalong tataas ang value nun in time.

At! Wala palang masama kung magreklamo ka. If he didn't complain about sore feet., wala ang pangalan nya sa bonggang-bonggang sapatos sa buong mundo. =)