Converse Redesigns Chuck Taylor Sneaker for Comfort

Despite fears of changing an icon, Converse announced a redesigned Chuck Taylor sneaker to add comfort to the iconic footwear.

The high-top Chuck II, which will retail for $75, will come with Nike's lightweight Lunarlon foam and other touches from the Converse parent company, according to the Washington Post.

"I love them, I just wish I could wear them for more than a couple hours," Jim Calhoun, the chief executive of Converse, told Bloomberg Business. "Kids are growing up in a world where they know comfort, expect comfort, and won't stand for discomfort."

Calhoun said he understands the tightrope he is walking in an effort to update the sneaker while not alienating its passionate fans.

"We've never sold more Chuck Taylors, and the company has never been as big or profitable as it is today, without changing the product,'' said Calhoun. "One of the curses of having an icon is a fear – particularly in the midst of success – of doing any changes."

Nike's effort address the shoe's comfort issue is a big positive step, wrote USA Today's Mike Foss.

"On the outside, it's near impossible to detect any aesthetic changes to the iconic shoe," said Foss. "But on the inside, Chucks are about to get a whole lot more wearable. There's the Lunarlon sockliner and suede lining making this feel like just about every other Nike basketball and running shoe. That's a good thing, since walking in Chucks previously felt like strapping cardboard to the soles of your feet."

Dr. Farah Siddiqui, of George Washington Medical Faculty Associates, told the Post that she steered patients with foot troubles away from the Chuck Taylor sneakers.

"Especially when they're entering the workforce and are on their feet a lot more," said Siddiqui.

Elizabeth Semmelhack, senior curator at Toronto's Bata Shoe Museum, said the shoe over the ages have come to represent multiple personalities beyond sports since they have been worn by musicians and the counter culture.

"Now, the Chuck Taylor can be embraced for multiple reasons," said Semmelhack. "Nostalgia. Authenticity. Some are anti-fashion and anti-establishment. I mean, it depends on how they're worn and who’s wearing them."

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