The Converse All Star Pack ticks all the boxes when it comes to the brand's basketball heritage, pairing Converse's rich history with pioneering, modern-day innovation. The pack comprises three models - the Chuck 70, the Pro Leather, and the All Star Pro BB - and takes sneakerheads on a journey through the Converse archives, starting in 1917 and finishing in the here and now.
In a time when sneakers are more colorful and wilder than ever before, and luxury brands are collaborating with sportswear manufacturers, Converse keeps things simple, opting instead for a classic white and red color scheme and letting its signature design speak for itself. Below, you'll find out more about each sneaker in the pack and their significance to Converse's rich and unparalleled basketball heritage.
You can now shop the Converse All Star pack at Highsnobiety Shop, as well as Converse.com.
In 1917, Converse developed the first-ever performance basketball sneaker, the Chuck Taylor All Star, which quickly became an icon both on the court and off it.
The shoe was the go-to performance basketball sneaker for nearly 50 years and rose in popularity as a casual sneaker in the '80s. Now universally known as the Chuck Taylor, the name came about five years after its initial release when the legendary basketball player asked Converse to create a shoe with more support and flexibility. With the help of Chuck Taylor, a new breed of performance basketball shoe was born. Thanks to the addition of the player's signature on the ankle patch, the shoe henceforth became known as the Chuck Taylor All Star.
The Chuck Taylor All Star is represented by the Chuck 70 in this pack. As its name suggests, the pack's Chuck 70 is inspired by the Chuck Taylor All Star's original 1970's design. It features a durable, lightweight canvas upper and a vulcanized rubber outsole, resulting in an easily-stylable, no-frills design.
The Pro Leather debuted in 1976 and was originally named the All Star Professional. Thanks to its technologically-advanced cupsole, it was one of the lightest and most durable basketball shoes of that era, which coincidentally coincided with a change in the game's playing styl.
Players were more explosive than ever before, and because of the shoe's revolutionary cupsole, it lent itself to the new way of playing in a big way. An endorsement by Julius "Dr. J" Erving thrust the Pro Leather into a new stratosphere of popularity, with most of the NBA's big names in the late '70s and early '80s wearing some form of the Pro Leather. Even Michael Jordan was wearing the shoe in college when he won a National Championship with UNC.
Now, the Pro Leather returns as part of the All Star Pack, featuring a white leather base with red detailing on the Star and Chevron logo on the sides.
Keeping a low-profile on the NBA court throughout 2019, Converse returned to the performance basketball fold earlier this year with the All Star Pro BB. As the name and design suggest, the sneaker is heavily influenced by the Chuck Taylor All Star, taking the minimalist design into the present with modern-day materials and technology borrowed from parent company, Nike.
The shoe was designed by legendary Nike Basketball designer Eric Avar and represents the meeting point between heritage design and contemporary on-court technology. As part of the All Star Pack, the Pro BB has been reimagined in the same red and white colorway as the Pro Leather, lending it a distinctly retro feel.
You can now shop the Converse All Star pack at Highsnobiety Shop, as well as Converse.com.
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