LIFESTYLE

STARZEN

Perception based article by @timecaptions_sa, curated by Lebone Selemela

EDITOR SPEAKS

There are lots of things people who live in a township may be common with and one of those things is the Converse All Star, it is timeless, people’s favourite and it is the most iconic shoe which has earned it’s stripes throughout the years.

I would say atleast one or two people from each household would own a pair because the shoe itself has became relevant to the township that you would hear different stories about people who wear all star.

I have heard a lot of stories about people who wear the converse all star and they were seen as thugs or gangsters. In other words, they were feared or known for their bad habits. It may be true and not true.

I would ask my brother why he doesn’t wash his shoes and his respone would be “you can only see the beauty of all star when it is dirty”. At first I did not understand what he meant by that but eventually I did and I believe that because wearing a dirty all star became a norm before most of us were born.

It is amazing how a shoe that was initially made for sports turned out to be people’s favourite and it is still making headlines with it’s new designs and color patterns. But I must say that it is now expensive which some people find it hard to accept.

Opinion Piece

Only one question was asked.” What is your perception on Converse All Star?”

“For me it just says home, because I grew up in a time where owning a pair was a thing and you can own your Gucci and Versace but you will still have to buy a pair of All Star” - Tshepo Ntseki

“It will always be there. Many sneaker have come and gone but Converse is still here. The shoe has been mostly associated with kwaito and the hood.

I’m from the hood and I enjoy kwaito. There is just something about Converse that screams out “home” - hence, the hood. Plus, you can literally wear it with anything(jeans/skirt/ a dress). Converse blends in... I do wear heels and stuff but I’m a sneaker girl at heart” - Nomqibelo

“Those are classics! Everyone’s favourite. You can literally wear them with anything for any occasion” -Matshidiso Mqubane

“Quality of effort, athletics and life. That is my perception of Converse All Star” - Dimakatso Maja

“Converse All Star is a non vebal shoe, back in the days it was worn by people who were well respected and feared, For some reasson, it was a shoe that would best describe gangsters and kwaito music.” - Cynthia

Selemela

“When you talk about Converse All Star, I am seeing Mzansi, ama pantsula, i’gusheshe( BMW E30), kuvela i’poti(spotty)zase kasi, kwaito, yaaah yizo lezo!!!” - Kamohelo Hlasa

“For me, when I see All Star I think about kasi (township) , spantsula, batho ba bapalang stuff (train surfing), a true hustler. But now the narrative has changed, you get people who fake being “ghetto” by wearing all stars and it is now expensive” - Lerato Mr Cava Le Ice Selemela

“For a person who has five different pairs of the same shoe clearly shows the love I have for Converse as a brand”. - Kabelo Selemela

“Over the years we’ve seen people gWather in social events, happy gatherings, etc, wearing their Converse All Star clothing and sneakers, people felt and still feel like they’re on top of the world when wearing it because of it’s undying beauty, quality and affordability. So for me Converse All Star is a fashion icon. Since forever”. - Neo Tsotetsi

“Whenever you hear a person speaking about Converse All Star you think the old school, you think about the hood first of all. A shoe that made history and still making history. It’s been there for ages, even our fathers and forefathers used to wear it back in the days and they still do. Converse All Star uBhomi”. - Asekho

I think Picasso was someone who took art’s powers of consuming, its powers of much-ness and multiplicity, and used that to his fullest extent. That’s something that was permitted to men, obviously, much more than women, but was also permitted in the past much more often than now. -Molly

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