A silhouette that revived the Chuck Taylor look, reinvented for skateboarding in the 1990s, and is now available in vintage colours.
Converse One Star, the rebirth of the Chuck
Converse set out in the 1970s to update the Chuck Taylor All Star, a shoe that had become synonymous with basketball since its inception in 1917. After five decades, new materials had introduced new ideas, and basketball had evolved. Converse’s proposal was a revamped version with a low cut appropriate for the era, retaining the original sole while renewing the upper with a new design, image, and materials. It was made of canvas, like the original Chuck, but also of leather in response to competition, and suede, a material that better adapted to court movements. Although it was officially known as the All Star, everyone referred to it as the One Star. Like its predecessor, the OX suffix indicated that it was a low-top model, similar to the Oxford, a formal shoe.
The Converse One Star in suede, a material that opened up new possibilities, resulted in an explosion of colour, the ideal moment for professional basketball’s new aesthetic standards.
Converse One Star and Japan
The Converse One Star had a brief run on the courts, being replaced by new models with a new logo, the chevron and the star, a few years later.
However, the Converse One Star style arrived in Japan as part of an aesthetic associated with the traditionally American product. The 1970s were coming to an end, and many Japanese brands were looking to stores that imported goods from the United States for inspiration. Hiroshi Fujiwara remembers this model as his first basketball shoe. The One Star’s imprint remained in Japan before being returned to the United States as a collector’s item. Turned into a vintage product, it reappeared in the 1990s to the delight of grunge and skaters, who gave it new life.
Converse One Star in skateboarding
Converse listened to skateboarders’ needs in 2005 and tweaked the One Star only where they needed it, such as a hidden gusset, a padded tongue, and a redesign that keeps the tongue centered…the result was the Converse One Star Pro OX, a shoe designed for skating that also provides everyday comfort.
The new edition retains the original model’s suede design for durability while also featuring CX foam for improved board contact and shock absorption. Green, red, and light blue are the three colors recovered from the archives. Now available at FOOTDISTRICT.