BY DAVID HUMPHRIES, Sophomore
BLYTHEWOOD -- Converse are quickly becoming a wardrobe necessity for girls all across the United States.
Converse is a company that originated in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908. They were originally created to be used as basketball shoes.
With the success of their product, Converse decided to branch out into everyday footwear and found many people liked their new shoes.
According to Bustle.com, the shoe company was quickly losing money and on the verge of closing altogether. Upon hearing this news, many fans of the shoe began buying them again.
Nike used this to their advantage and bought the Converse company. Converse became so popular that they became one of Nike’s most popular products.
According to refinedguy.com, someone buys a pair of converse all stars every 43 seconds. This astounding rate of buying accumulates to around 700,000 pairs of converse sold each year. This comes to an all time amount of 800 million converse sold.
Today converse shoes can be seen everywhere. From schools with students wearing them to adults in the workplace, converse shoes are very popular. Across these groups of people many different style variations can be found.
“I have had my white converse for about a year, but I had grey converse since around the seventh grade,” sophomore Emery Tuner said.
Converse come in many different shapes and styles. Styles range from the normal to abnormal.
Converse come in low top, high top, or slip on designs. The low top ends around the bottom of the ankle like the slip on does. The only difference between them is the slip on does not have laces. The high top ends farther up the leg, often above the ankle. Sometimes the high top can extend as far as halfway between the foot and knee. These however are not as popular as the other two.
The style options for converse are endless. Shoes can come in the colors of red, yellow, black, white, or any kind that a person could think of. The most popular of these colors are white and black.
Shoes can also come in different styles. Sometimes a theme will be implemented into a shoe. According to sneakernews.com a the famous telivision show, The Simpsons was used as a theme on all styles of converse sold to retailers in Japan.
Other styles of converse include floral print, camo, leather, and anything imaginable.
The love for converse does not just end there. Converse also have other features that users love about them.
“Converse are comfortable and never make my feet hurt,” said freshman Haley Neal, an owner of a pair of white converse.
Converse can be worn for any event and remain comfortable. From sporting events to leisurely walks around town, converse never hurt the feet.
“Converse also go with almost any outfit I could think about,” Neal said.
Many outfits can be worn with converse.
“They are a kind of classic looking shoe and they can turn a nice outfit into a casual one,” Turner said.
Athletic apparel, leisurely apparel, and professional apparel can all be worn with converse.
Due to the versatility of the converse shoe, it has become a staple for many people around the world.
Converse shoes have become a landmark in shoe history and a well known symbol throughout the shoe industry and world.
