A tennis shoe is typically made from canvas and has a sole made from rubber. Tennis shoes are known by various names such as “sneakers”, “plimsolls”, “sand shoes”, “Chucks”, “Converse shoes”, “gutties” and “dappers”. Each of these names has an interesting story associated with it. In the mid 1800s, the Liverpool Rubber Company, which later came to be known as Dunlop, manufactured the tennis shoe as beach wear. This shoe is still known as a “sand shoe” in some parts of the United Kingdom. The term “plimsoll” probably came about because a colourful band joins the upper portion of the shoe with the soles. This band resembles the plimsoll line on a ship’s hull which indicates the optimum water level.
Tennis shoes are known as “sneakers” in the United States because a marketing executive thought that since the rubber sole made no noise they gave the impression of people sneaking around. In some parts of the United States, tennis shoes are also known as “Converse”. Marquis Converse was an employee of a large shoe store who, in the late 1930s, started his own shoe shop. The Converse shoe shop manufactured the All Star brand of sneakers with moderate success. One day, employee Chuck Taylor tried on the All Star shoe and found them so comfortable that he was never seen without a pair. He made many suggestions that were implemented and, later, his signature was also added to the All Star shoes. These sneakers came to be known as “Chucks”.
Rubber soles were initially created from a process called vulcanisation in which rubber and canvas were melded together using heat. A company called Keds began selling them in America in 1917, which is why the shoes are also known as “keds”. The manufacture of tennis shoes is now a multi-million pound business and rubber soles have been replaced by high-tech gel or air-filled cushioning.
Buy on Dealtime:
