For those that collect vintage Converse sneakers, having the Comfort Arch Cushion Heel on the insole of your Chucks coupled with that small blue label (Made In The U.S.A. of course) on the heel is something special. For those of you that don’t collect vintage Chucks, the Converse Comfort Arch with Cushion Heel is commonly found on 1950’s into the 1960’s Converse sneakers. In addition to the distinctive insole, these 50’s and 60’s Chucks often feature thicker canvas, soles with a unique tread pattern,more cushioning and of course “Made In The U.S.A.” written on the heel, sole, and sometimes the insole. When you put on a pair of 1950’s chucks, its almost like hopping into a Delorean and going back in time (to a very different era in the footwear industry). Some vintage enthusiasts may argue that a good pair of BF goodrich’s, Pro Keds, or even Ball-Band’s will suffice, however, none compare to the likes of a pair of 50’s/60’s chucks. There was a retro of the 60’s version in 2010 (part of the Addict series and only carried in Japan) but the closest thing to a 1950’s Converse retro today came from Visvim in the form of the Kiefer Hi. Take a trip back to the 50’s with the original Comfort Arch Cushion Heel trademark (special thanks to trademarkia.com), pictures of Sammy Davis Jr.(courtesy of Life.com ) and artist Emile Norman (picture courtesy of mrpeacockstyle) both crushin’ the 1950’s cons as well as a pair from my own collection (picture taken by the locust digital productions and comes from the DeFY. New York photo vault).
