Converse keeps going and going in the casual canvas sneaker
market with the "Chuck Taylor" All Star, originally
designed (and up to middle 1970's) worn as a technical basketball shoe. Converse keeps going and going in the casual canvas sneaker
market with the "Chuck Taylor" All Star, originally
designed (and up to middle 1970's) worn as a technical basketball shoe.
Improved sneaker technology may have relegated the
"Chuck
Taylor" All Star to casual fashion, but Converse
has tried to maintain a competitive presence in the technical basketball shoe
market, from the 1970 leather One Star to the 1996 All Star 2000 and the 1999 Converse Helium.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the
Converse "Dr. J" was
very popular for basketball players. The "Dr. J", named after basketball star
Julius Erving, was produced in low-top and high-top styles, as well as smooth leather and
suede.
This
particular variant has a scooped-out design at the top of the upper; it also has
a blue chevron and a black star, where the shoe above it has only blue trim.
I remember wanting to buy a pair in late April 1985... and I had to hunt for
them. It wasn't basketball season, and most stores had sold out. Nowadays, it
seems, athletic shoe stores always keep basketball shoes in stock!
Converse recognizes the continued popularity of this design,
as they made them again in the 1990's, 2001, and 2003. However, they placed the shoe in their "athletic
originals" (what I'd call "knock-about, fun sneakers") product line. Converse also had a spring
1997 "Dr. J. 2000" technical shoe.
This
particular colorway is patriotic red, white, and
blue.
Another recent colorway is white, black, and silver.
Julius Erving (Dr. J himself) is active in the business world, including Executive Vice President of the NBA's Orlando Magic. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of Darden Restaurants (best known for Red Lobster and Olive Garden) and The Sports Authority. He still serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Saks Incorporated, which owns several other department store chains in addition to their flagship Saks Fifth Avenue.
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Last Updated: 18 April 2012 11:32
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copyright 1995-2012 by Charles L. Perrin.
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nomenclature used by the manufacturer and recognized by the reader.