Converse sales soar due to "Kamala effect"

Converse, the American shoe company best known for its youthful Chuck Taylor All-Stars, is having a moment. Sales are flying in the United States, increasing 50 percent in the last week of January, after Vice President Kamala Harris was spotted wearing a pair.

While sales jumped during inauguration week, data from research company NPD Groups show a hike show Converse is now the 13th best-selling sports footwear brand in the country.

The “Kamala effect” has resonated with shoppers, who have seen the Vice President choose comfort on multiple occasions, from when she took the stage during the presidential campaign, to when she was elected vice president of the United States, she wore Converse. Even during the shoot for the controversial cover of Vogue America, her styling was criticised as being too casual.

The Nike-owned Converse brand was founded over a century in 1908 in Massachussets by Marquis Mills Converse.

According to Quartz, Converse in its last quarter, which ended November 30th, saw comparative sales down 4 percent. In 2019, the low-top Chuck Taylor was one of the top-selling shoes in the US by dollars sold in NPD’s data, but in 2020 it fell off the list after experiencing a sharp decline. The “Kamala effect” could well boost its figures for 2021.

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