a post about sneakers

Like many other people my age, I've grown up wearing Converse high and low top shoes. In fact, in 8th grade, I had a red pair of what my friend Travis refers to as "bobos"--fake Chucks--from Wal-Mart or Pick-n-Save, or wherever my single mother could afford to buy clothes for us kids. They were red high tops, and I think I wore them with everything. I remember feeling like the popular girls, whose parents were all doctors and who shopped at the mall, were constantly staring at me and my bright red shoes, and not really caring, because I thought they were cool. This was just before everyone started wearing Converse, so I think I was a little ahead of the curve on that one.

We moved, and I started HS in Albuquerque, NM, and I remember getting a pair of bright yellow high tops--actual Converse this time--as part of my going back to school kit, and again, wearing them all the time. I don't know what possessed me to pick bright yellow. Maybe they were cheaper or something. I don't remember what 14 yr old me was thinking. But I have lots of pictures of me in those shoes. They really stood out.

Anyway, I spent my whole college life in Converse low tops--easier to wear than the high tops, and a bit cooler, in my opinion, anyway. I still have three pairs, but as you can see, they're a bit worn now. My favorite has always been the standard black and white low top All-Stars. However, when I went to buy this last pair (above), something was different. They felt... cheaper. Less substantial. I bought them anyway, but I've never been really happy with how they felt, and I do think they wore out a lot quicker than my older pairs used to.

Then I remembered that there had been some controversy about Converse a few years ago, that I just hadn't paid much attention to at the time. Spanky reminded me that they got purchased by Nike, but I started looking around online, and what little info I found wasn't good: see here. They are not made in the USA anymore and haven't been since 2001, and ths post in the Culture Shock blog explains why they feel so cheap now--they are essentially one ply canvas, not two anymore. The whole package is thinner and less supportive (not that they were ever that supportive to begin with), and now that there is a licensing agreement (that I obviously don't really understand, but couldn't find much info on anyway) between the Chuck Taylor brand and Target, the quality has really diminished even more.

The upshot is--I need new sneakers that are as cool as Chucks without being so ethically questionable. I also like how the Converse are vegan (not that I am against leather shoes, but I do appreciate a good alternative!). I'd be open to suggestions if anyone has them. I was looking on Zappos the other day because I really cannot wear those Chucks anymore--I can feel pebbles through the bottoms! Zappos is (was?) running this whole 'green fashion' promotion, and I found these:



Cute, right? These are the black Satire hemp shoes from Simple, a brand that is pretty interesting. They're made of hemp, with an organic cotton lining. The outer sole is a recycled tire! The packaging is all 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The whole shoe-making process is as sustainable as possible. There isn't much about where they're manufactured, but I did find out that the company is owned by Deckers Outdoor Corp, which also owns Uggs and Teva. It looks like all their brands at least make sense, and all revolve around an outdoor or active mentality.

I probably wouldn't have ever switched from Converse if the quality hadn't gone down. I love the look and the legacy of them so much, and it's such a shame it's come down to Nike and its shady corporate shenanigans. I'm not going to stop wearing the ones I have, but I'm not going to buy any more pairs either. Why give Nike my money when they don't care about the quality of their products, just profit? Especially since I'm pretty happy so far with the fit and style of my first Simple sneakers, and I think I've found the company structure and goals more palatable.

ETA: I forgot to talk about price. The Converse low-top All Stars are now $45.00 on Zappo's (the cheap ones are not that much cheaper at Target either--I think they're about $30). The Simple shoes I got are $54.95. I think ten bucks is a good price to pay for sustainability...

Ok, rant over. Carry on.