This picture shows a pair of PRO-Keds sneakers of unknown (but early) vintage.
This picture shows a pair of PRO-Keds sneakers of unknown (but early) vintage.
PRO-Keds are a canvas basketball sneaker that competes for market share with the Converse "Chuck Taylor" All Star shoe. At least in the Midwest, Chucks were much more prevalent when I was a kid.
There are a large number of detail styling differences between PRO-Keds and Chucks:
| FEATURE | CHUCKS | PRO-KEDS |
| Upper design at heel | Peg-topped (upward fabric projection) | Flat across |
| Rubber wrap trim | Contrast strip across the middle of the rubber wrap | Red and blue diagonal rubber decoration (close to little toe area) |
| Toe cap trim | None | Across back of toe cap |
| Heel stitching | Matches predominant color | White |
| Toe area reinforcement | NO | YES |
| Sourced from (2003) | China; Vietnam | China |
PRO-Keds, like Chucks, had many and varied uses for Baby Boom Boy athletes.
Does the real PRO-Keds logo look like choice #1?
Or, does the real PRO-Keds logo look like choice #2?
Or, does the real PRO-Keds logo look like choice #3?
Or, does the real PRO-Keds logo look like choice #4?
Hey! This isn't a fair question!
That's because EVERY ONE of these logos have been used on PRO-Keds over the years!
PRO-Keds returned to the market in 2002. Distribution was very limited at first. This picture shows one of their 2002 models: a white low-top version of their "Royal Canvas" basketball shoe.
The
"Royal Canvas" low-top was also made in various colors not shown here, including
black and red.
The
2002/2003 models also included high-tops in multiple colors.
New
colors introduced for 2004 but not shown include pink and Carolina blue.
PRO-Keds also introduced the Royal Storm, a water-resistant style featuring rubberized construction, no Buick Ventiports, and a tongue gusset. Other men's colors include green/yellow and black/white. Other women's colors included all black, pink/maroon, orange/white, and red/white.
This is a view of the outer inside, showing some of the construction details.
This is the similar pull-on Royal Lightning style.
This is the limited-edition PRO-Keds high-top that features the art of Derrick Hodgson.
Other artist designs include:
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Last Updated: 29 May 2017
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Charlie's Sneaker Pages copyright 1995-2024 by Charles L. Perrin.
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