Sneakers: everyone wears them and everyone has a pair of some sort. Certain brands are more popular with specific groups or people who lead certain lifestyles or clothing styles. But when it comes down to the rocker/skater/rebel/whoever, which is better, or more preferred, Vans or Converse All-Stars?

Converse All-Stars have definitely been around longer, since 1908, to be exact. The company started by Marquis M. Converse, a manager at a footwear manufacturing company, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts. By 1910, they were producing 4,000 pairs of shoes daily and then in 1915 they began manufacturing athletic shoes, like for tennis. Basketball was a fledgling sport, hardly 25 years old, and became a revolution when the world’s first performance basketball shoe was created, the Converse All-Star.

Charles H. “Chuck” Taylor slipped on his first pair of All Star basketball shoes in 1918, he played for the Akron Firestones. Chuck Taylor became America’s first player endorser when he signed with Converse in 1921. His signature wasn’t added to the label until 1923 when he coached his first basketball clinic at North Carolina University.

When the war erupted for the US in 1941, Converse switched over to manufacture parkas, boots, and other apparel and by 1949, the Basketball Association of America and National League merged to form the National Basketball Association and nearly all its players wore Converse All Stars.

Converse All Stars were originally in all black but when players and teams began pushing for variety in colors, the company complied. By the time James Dean was able to sanction Converse shoes, jeans and a white t-shirt as an official fashion; America’s youth was already on the band wagon in the late 50’s. Girls wore the shoes with ankle socks and poodle skirts while boys wore the shoes in James Dean fashion. Anyone could wear a pair of Converse they were so inexpensive.

Converse shoes were the number one basketball shoe in America by 1957, the same year Julius Erving, also known as, “Dr. J”, recievied his first pair of $3.95 Converse All-Stars after pleading with his mother. The “Dr. J” shoe was officially released in 1976 when he endorsed Converse and his stamp was put on Converse Pro Leather Shoe. In 1974 the “one star” was released as a low-cut performance basketball shoe, later adopted by skaters and surfers.

Continuing the tradition of their fathers, teen in the 60’s wore colorful mismatched converse while teens in the 70’s and 80’s donned them with punk culture in mind. A slight decline happened in the 90’s as newer technology was favored in basketball shoes. This decline almost caused the Converse shoe company to file bankruptcy, they had closed all US factories, moved production to Asia and then a power shift occurred. Nike bought out Converse in July 2003 for $305 million.

March 15th, 1966 was the grand opening of the Vans store, created by Paul Van Doren, originally from the East coast. Doren moved to Souther California joined with Jim Van Doren, Gordy Lee, and Serge D’Elia to start his shoe company. The store took a year to build and opened just over 60 years ago on 704 East Broadway in Anaheim, California. Only three styles were available that day, and only store models were available to display the three prices, $2.49, $4.49 and $4.99. When twelve customers walked in throughout the day, Gordy and [Paul] Doren had to rush into the factory and make the shoes so they would be ready when the customers came back later on in the afternoon.When no change was available to give the customers, they were told to come back the next day and pay. All twelve did.

For a year, a new store was opened almost weekly. The location was chosen on Monday, a lease signed on Tuesday, painting and remodeling was done Wednesday, and on Thursday the new racks were put up. Shoes were put up Friday along with displays and a store manager was hired on Saturday while training continued on Sunday. Despite now-international trade, the original 105 company-owned stores sell more Vans than any other retailer.

By 1976, ten years down the road, skateboarders began wearing Vans as almost their trademark and soon asked for different colors and patterns on the shoes. March 19th, 1976 First Era, designed by Tony Alva and Stacy Petralta, two professional skateboarders, came out in red and blue. By 1979 the “slipon” was added to the line.

Eventually the Vans shoe company had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and owed $12 million in debt. But in December on 1986 they came out of it and were stable once more. Then in 1988 in February, Vans was sold to McCrown Deleeuw Co. and Vans exploded with recognition around the world. In 1994 manufacturing was expanded overseas in addition to the traditional California manufacturing.

Now, while both shoes are worn by just about every clique in every school, both shoes have a history, a foothold in America which allows them to be non-discriminatory.