Converse, the iconic white rubber-toed canvas sneaker popularized in 1917 by basketball star Chuck Taylor, has become the unofficial shoe of rock n roll. Throughout the past four decades especially, virtually every musician in every genre has been spotted wearing a pair of “Chucks” at some point, and Converse has embraced the association. To celebrate 100 years in the sneaker business, Converse has released a line of musician-inspired shoes spanning various genres and decades past. Styles include The Grateful Dead’s dancing bears, a Nirvana shoe featuring drawings from Kurt Cobain’s notebook, and an all-black “We Sold Our Soul for Rock n Roll” high-top inspired by Black Sabbath. Additional releases from Pink Floyd, Green Day, The Doors, and The Who are in the works, with prices ranging from $50 to $100 (King, 2008).
Converse is not the first sneaker brand to offer music-inspired shoes, however. Vans skate shoes, a California company in existence since 1966, began offering band-inspired shoes early in the 21st century. The company’s sponsorship of the long-running punk rock oriented summer concert series, the Vans Warped Tour, solidified its position among musicians, skateboarders, and punk rockers alike. Creating shoes primarily for bands in the punk rock genre, the Ramones, Descendents, Social Distortion, the Germs, Bad Brains, Dropkick Murphys, and Rise Against have all played a part in creating a limited edition shoe for mass consumption. More recently, they have also began to appeal to the hard rock and metal crowd with offerings from Iron Maiden, KISS, Slayer and Motorhead. Prices range from $50 to $65, making them roughly the same price as the company’s non-band related styles (Didcott, n.d.).
Both Converse and Vans have been met with mixed reviews for their music-inspired sneakers. While the concept certainly is a novel idea and fans of the sponsored bands have been mostly receptive, purists in the punk rock community especially have criticized the once respected shoe brands for “selling out” and capitalizing on the bands, many of which no longer exist. I personally have purchased the Social Distortion signature Vans for myself, as well as the Slayer edition as a gift, as I found them to be a rare and unique product that cost the same price as the company’s regular designs. I do feel, however, that the Converse music edition sneakers take the concept a bit too far, charging double to triple the cost of their regular Chuck Taylors. The company’s prices have been consistently on the rise over the past decade, jumping from $20 in the late 90’s to $40 and up in 2008. The price in conjunction with Converse’s recent buyout by sweat shop employer Nike has put the brand in a negative light in recent years. This combination of factors makes Vans the clear winner for best rock n roll shoe.
Didcott, T. “Vans Shoes.” http://shopbodo.com/van-shoes/
King, B. (2008, November 3). “The Converse music collection.” Blast Magazine.
http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/the-converse- music-collection/
Converse is not the first sneaker brand to offer music-inspired shoes, however. Vans skate shoes, a California company in existence since 1966, began offering band-inspired shoes early in the 21st century. The company’s sponsorship of the long-running punk rock oriented summer concert series, the Vans Warped Tour, solidified its position among musicians, skateboarders, and punk rockers alike. Creating shoes primarily for bands in the punk rock genre, the Ramones, Descendents, Social Distortion, the Germs, Bad Brains, Dropkick Murphys, and Rise Against have all played a part in creating a limited edition shoe for mass consumption. More recently, they have also began to appeal to the hard rock and metal crowd with offerings from Iron Maiden, KISS, Slayer and Motorhead. Prices range from $50 to $65, making them roughly the same price as the company’s non-band related styles (Didcott, n.d.).
Both Converse and Vans have been met with mixed reviews for their music-inspired sneakers. While the concept certainly is a novel idea and fans of the sponsored bands have been mostly receptive, purists in the punk rock community especially have criticized the once respected shoe brands for “selling out” and capitalizing on the bands, many of which no longer exist. I personally have purchased the Social Distortion signature Vans for myself, as well as the Slayer edition as a gift, as I found them to be a rare and unique product that cost the same price as the company’s regular designs. I do feel, however, that the Converse music edition sneakers take the concept a bit too far, charging double to triple the cost of their regular Chuck Taylors. The company’s prices have been consistently on the rise over the past decade, jumping from $20 in the late 90’s to $40 and up in 2008. The price in conjunction with Converse’s recent buyout by sweat shop employer Nike has put the brand in a negative light in recent years. This combination of factors makes Vans the clear winner for best rock n roll shoe.
Didcott, T. “Vans Shoes.” http://shopbodo.com/van-shoes/
King, B. (2008, November 3). “The Converse music collection.” Blast Magazine.
http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/culturefashion/2008/11/the-converse- music-collection/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment