Converse is releasing another sneaker from its archives. The iconic sneaker brand is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the initial release of the Pro Leather basketball shoe with the release of the Pro Leather ’76.
First introduced in 1976, the Pro Leather helped usher in the modern era of basketball footwear. The shoe became the go-to premiere basketball sneaker by straying away from traditional canvas upper and rubber sole silhouettes by featuring—you guessed it—an entirely leather upper and rubber sole for a more comfortable fit that still gripped the hardwood. It was also favourite of NBA All-Star Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving, who infamously wore the basketball shoe during his time on the courts throughout the golden age of the sport.
The updated Pro Leather '76 is a contemporary take on that heritage court silhouette that Dr. J and a number of other future NBA Hall of Famers loved so much. The revamped sneakers feature a tweaked design and improved comfort thanks to a Nike Lunarlon sockliner. The updated sneaker also come in a variety of colours and textures to match your individual style. The Pro Leather '76 "Monochromatic" Pack comes in Ox (low-top) and mid silhouettes in triple black and triple white colourways, while the Pro Leather ’76 in "Vintage Suede" is available in a mid silhouette in four (*cough*) bolder colours: slamming grape, amazing yellow, ice cold grey, and fearless fire.
Both the Converse Pro Leather '76 "Mono" collection ($70 - $75 CAD) and the Converse Pro Leather '76 "Vintage Suede" collection ($110 CAD) will be released exclusively at Foot Locker stores across Canada as well as online at Footlocker.ca on Thursday December 1st.
You can check out the 8 different Converse Pro Leather '76 options below:
