It was in 1908 that the Converse Rubber Corporation opened for business. At first the company only made galoshes and other work related rubber shoes on a seasonal basis. But eventually the company decided it was more efficient to keep their work force employed year round, and began making athletic shoes. With the popularity of basketball, the Converse Corporation saw the need to develop a shoe that people could wear while playing basketball. After lots of research and development, the very first version of the All Star basketball shoe was produced in 1917. The All Star shoe originally came in natural brown colors with black trim. In the 1920s, Converse All Stars were made in all black canvas or leather versions. The All Star was to be the first mass produced basketball shoe in North America. It consisted of a very thick rubber sole, and a ankle covering canvas (or sometimes leather) upper. At first sales were slow. They would rapidly increase a few years later, thanks to Charles ‘Chuck’ H. Taylor.
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LeBron James unveils the Nike “Rubber City” lifestyle 12s
The LeBron James-produced All-Star weekend fashion show has yet to tip off, but that hasn’t stopped the four-time MVP from breaking out some new heat. Taking part in Friday’s media day and various other events—James joined NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and others in unveiling a new court as a part of the league’s FIT program—James broke out what he has dubbed the “Rubber City” 12s from Nike. Modeled after his on-court sneaker, this shoe swaps out the standard Megafuse upper for a tiled, textured look thanks to miniature spikes sprouting up from each square. There is little known about the shoe itself, but it’s first look comes just hours after news surrounding other lifestyle versions of James’ signature shoe. The all-red look has taken on a life of its own after Kanye West’s Yeezy 2’s were released in an all-red “Red October” colorway following the musician’s departure from The Swoosh. Many other shoes have been recreated in the all-red colorway in Nike’s ID software, but this shoe would be the first released by Nike to replicate such to the mass audience in the event it does get reproduced. Tough to imagine that there won’t be some form of rollout given James’ Akron-based name for the shoes and the fact that there’s speculation surrounding a Josh Elliott collaboration in the works. Stay tuned. Spring could be the season for more interesting editions of the LeBron 12. We’ll obviously have more as the news leaks out. |