Converse Conversion

Converse is Chuck Taylor and Chuck Taylor is Converse – at least that’s what we believe.

Who does not know how a pair of Converse sneakers look like? You know – the red, blue and black sneaker staples that many of us cannot live without. They were among the first and most popular basketball shoes in the ’50s and the ’60s.

Here in the Philippines, the brand has been around for about 20 years. But it’s the year 2001 and Converse is coming to conquer the sporting world.

Again.

Now there is more to Converse than just the rubber shoes on your feet.

"The new management team is focusing on an image and position of Converse in a global aspect. The brand is gearing towards the ‘one world, one image, one brand’ look," says Kim Sia, vice president for marketing of Filcon Manufacturing Corp., the local distributor of Converse in the country.

Although Sia admits that, internationally, Converse has been marketed toward a male-dominated market – this is no longer the case. "Now we are aggressively launching apparel for women," Sia declares.

Why now?

"It is the market and the fashion trends that determine how we design our clothes for women. In the past, when the style was baggy it was okay for women to wear small-sized men’s shirts. But that is no longer the case," she continues. "There is a need to make apparel that fit women."

This does not mean that Converse is going all girly–far from it. "We have a more aggressive and dynamic team. We are forward-looking," says Sia of the new Converse management team, which began its work in April of this year.

"We have set our sights on the 18- to 24-year-old market," Sia reveals. But he is quick to point out that the age range is just a gauge of the age of their market. "When does a teenager really stop becoming a teenager? Or when does a young adult stop wearing teenage attire?" he asks. Hard to say for sure, we reply.

"I think that it is the younger people who dictate the fashion trends nowadays and then the older people end up following suit."

So what does this all mean? "We are going bolder in terms of footwear and we are becoming more daring in our ladies’ apparel,"Sia says.

Smart move. Now women will no longer have to contend with wearing Converse male clothing–they will have their own. After all, men and women are built differently.

"This is why the heads of Converse are more focused in terms of imaging and positioning," Sia says. "We at Converse do not limit our resources and minds to one gender. We would like to reach out to as many as we can in order to achieve our true tradition to deliver quality and practical clothing to those who need them."

Converse will also be importing all its footwear. In the past, the shoes used to be manufactured locally. But with the creation of the "one world, one image, one brand" look this is guaranteed to be standardized, though Sia expects the new Converse shoes to come in by early next year. "Just think about it. If you see any of your favorite actors on TV in a pair of Chuck Taylors you could get the exact same shoe here in Manila," he says excitedly.

"It is our female apparel line that we are launching now. We are excited about this new development. And whatever type of clothes we have for men, there will be similar styles for women," Sia says.

Looking at what Converse has for the ladies–shorts and T-shirts, jogging pants and jackets and workout clothes and lazing around clothes too–the possibilities seem endless and the choices exciting.