They are everywhere, from college campuses to rundown garages, from basements to street walks, apt for casual affairs and modish for social soirées. They are ubiquitous and irresistable, an epidemic. They are the canvas shoes, which nobody really cared for a few years back in time.

From the winterised rubber soles designed for men, women and children in the early twentieth century, to asserting an urban omnipresence with brands like Converse and Levi's, they have become a fin de siecle phenomenon. Available in high tops and low cuts, in suede, leather, even hemp, and of course the parent material of canvas, the shoes are a lifestyle icon now.

The fat long laces snaking pertly through the multiple eyelets of the shoes are a fad every teenager fusses to have on his footwear now.

The contagion of Converse
Also called Chucks, a name eponymous with the American basketball player Chuck Taylor, Converse tapped its way from being sold for some hundred bucks to escalating to over a grand now. Infectious in its spread, there are virtually no dissenters in the Converse cult. Fashion is undoubtedly a herd instinct. What distends its penetration among the youth culture is its unisex image and rugged yet snug design. "I am crazy about Converse. They are killer. I can't wait to step into new colours and patterns. I wear them with shorts, jeans and even skirts," says Akansha Chugh, a second-year mass communication student.

The Ramones
The scuffed up high top denim sneakers, made famous by the punk band Ramones, fall within the price bracket of Rs 2,499. With a worn, weathered look and "Hey ho, let's go" on the ankle patch, they scream of an elitist, rebellion status.
Chinmaya Raj Thakur, a nineteen-year-old collegian has been loyal to canvas ever since he owned his first pair, back in the days of the shoes' unexplored fashion potential.
"I have been wearing them since they were out in the market. I don't think anything beats their make and comfort level. I have six pairs already. And the thing is everybody seems to like them as much as I do," he points to his red double-tongued high tops.

Leaning to Levi's
All set to launch its new line to serve the sticklers for canvas-clad feet, Levi's is flaring out its manufacturing of canvas shoes with shades that haven't yet hit the market. Climbing upwards from 1600 bucks, they are a tad burnished in appearance and more lustrous in finish; these shoes find their owners among the myrmidons of the brand who prefer chic sobriety to grunge insouciance. These are the shoes that have perky petite ankle pockets that make them all the more covetable.

The socially responsible
Right when you think all the companies are doing is making big money, you are acquainted with the altruistic bend in them. For instance, Converse claims of a creative collaboration with artistes aimed at safeguarding culture whereby the brand will devote five percent of its wholesale price to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.