Canadian Sports History Makes a Resurgence
Converse breathes new life to the Jack Purcell Signature shoe
On a mild February morning in New York City, inside a stunning, open concept loft space, Converse unveiled the completely re-engineered Jack Purcell Signature shoe. Captivated by the corner room with its neck tilting high ceilings and huge windows letting in the soft sunlight, I was ushered to the kitchen and served cold press juice and Momofuku Milk Bar cookies. Converse was making a statement. Everything about the setting was intentional.
UNSUNG HERO
Jack Purcell was a Canadian boy, born in Ontario who loved to compete. He excelled in badminton and rose to become the Canadian National Badminton Champion. Purcell continued to excel at the professional level, beating the top Canadian, American and British players and was crowned World Champion in 1933, a title he held until for twelve consecutive years until he retired.
In 1935 as the world champion, he designed a badminton sneaker for the B.F. Goodrich Company of Canada. Yes, the tire brand, they made shoes a long time ago. Converse purchased the trademark rights from the tire manufacturer in 1970 and continued to produce the Jack Purcell sneaker.
MODERN CRAFTSMANSHIP
In the forty-five years under the eyes of Converse have seen the JP’s go through slight changes primarily attributed to a change factories and modernized fabrication techniques, but until now there was nothing of this magnitude. “Our attention to detail in each product benefit, such as the herringbone patterned sole and the two-piece Jack Purcell smile, created a product derived from modern craftsmanship and versatility,” describes John Heinrich, senior designer of the Purcell collection.
At first glance, you might not notice the differences. The design team has incorporated a few elements that are exclusive to the Signature collection. The Vision Blue license plate on the heel, the Converse Blue ‘smile’ on the toe remain constant across the different colorways. The overt visual cues might end there, but the significant improvements start when you lace them up for the first time.
COMFORT IS KEY
From the ground up, the shoe has been re-engineered for a different customer. The badminton athletes have been replaced by the creative class. Identifying the JP customer was the first step. The design team literally followed its customer from the closet to the office and right through the day to identify the shoe’s own weaknesses. The tech revolution and the economic climate have given birth to more creative jobs and entrepreneurial spirit, both contributing to more generally accepted casual dress in the workplace. This is the new Purcell customer, and this guy is on the go a lot.
This is where the not-so-obvious improvements to the JP shine. For the first time Converse leverages Zoom Air technology from its parent company Nike, decreasing foot fatigue over the course of a day, I noticed, all jargon aside. The other favorite improvement is the “wing-tongue”. If you’ve ever worn a pair of Converse’s long enough, you can relate when I say after some usage, the tongue likes to pick a side. Left, right, just never in the middle. The wing-tongue fixes that problem for good by adding structural support to the base of the tongue, helping to lock it in place. The result is a beautiful and incredibly executed shoe, one that is an incredible improvement over the previous iterations.
Jack Purcell might very well hold the title for being the least celebrated athlete sneaker endorsement ever. Hearing the name will likely ring a bell for many but the association is largely attributed to the iconic ‘smiling’ sneaker and not the World Badminton Champion. Go ahead, it’s ok to chuckle when you hear it for the first time.
On a mild February morning in New York City, inside a stunning, open concept loft space, Converse unveiled the completely re-engineered Jack Purcell Signature shoe. Captivated by the corner room with its neck tilting high ceilings and huge windows letting in the soft sunlight, I was ushered to the kitchen and served cold press juice and Momofuku Milk Bar cookies. Converse was making a statement. Everything about the setting was intentional.
UNSUNG HERO
Jack Purcell was a Canadian boy, born in Ontario who loved to compete. He excelled in badminton and rose to become the Canadian National Badminton Champion. Purcell continued to excel at the professional level, beating the top Canadian, American and British players and was crowned World Champion in 1933, a title he held until for twelve consecutive years until he retired.
In 1935 as the world champion, he designed a badminton sneaker for the B.F. Goodrich Company of Canada. Yes, the tire brand, they made shoes a long time ago. Converse purchased the trademark rights from the tire manufacturer in 1970 and continued to produce the Jack Purcell sneaker.
MODERN CRAFTSMANSHIP
In the forty-five years under the eyes of Converse have seen the JP’s go through slight changes primarily attributed to a change factories and modernized fabrication techniques, but until now there was nothing of this magnitude. “Our attention to detail in each product benefit, such as the herringbone patterned sole and the two-piece Jack Purcell smile, created a product derived from modern craftsmanship and versatility,” describes John Heinrich, senior designer of the Purcell collection.
Our attention to detail in each product benefit, such as the herringbone patterned sole and the two-piece Jack Purcell smile, created a product derived from modern craftsmanship and versatility.
At first glance, you might not notice the differences. The design team has incorporated a few elements that are exclusive to the Signature collection. The Vision Blue license plate on the heel, the Converse Blue ‘smile’ on the toe remain constant across the different colorways. The overt visual cues might end there, but the significant improvements start when you lace them up for the first time.
COMFORT IS KEY
From the ground up, the shoe has been re-engineered for a different customer. The badminton athletes have been replaced by the creative class. Identifying the JP customer was the first step. The design team literally followed its customer from the closet to the office and right through the day to identify the shoe’s own weaknesses. The tech revolution and the economic climate have given birth to more creative jobs and entrepreneurial spirit, both contributing to more generally accepted casual dress in the workplace. This is the new Purcell customer, and this guy is on the go a lot.
This is where the not-so-obvious improvements to the JP shine. For the first time Converse leverages Zoom Air technology from its parent company Nike, decreasing foot fatigue over the course of a day, I noticed, all jargon aside. The other favorite improvement is the “wing-tongue”. If you’ve ever worn a pair of Converse’s long enough, you can relate when I say after some usage, the tongue likes to pick a side. Left, right, just never in the middle. The wing-tongue fixes that problem for good by adding structural support to the base of the tongue, helping to lock it in place. The result is a beautiful and incredibly executed shoe, one that is an incredible improvement over the previous iterations.
The new JP signature shoe has the build quality well beyond most designer brands, with zero compromises. It looks like a $300 sneaker and retails for an unbelievable $100. It will absolutely find a home in your closet. While Jack Purcell will likely never be celebrated the same way as we’ll remember Michael Jordan, the JP is far more versatile of a shoe off the court and that’s reason enough to smile.