Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, it seems likes to choose comfort while on the campaign trail. That however doesn’t make her any less fashionable— she loves wearing Converse shoes. At her first trip to Milwaukee as the vice presidential nominee, Harris chose to wear Chuck Taylor Converse shoes and the internet loved her for her sartorial choice.
Harris paired the sneakers with a black top, blue blazer and a pair of jeans— sporting a semi-casual look.
Laced up and ready to win.pic.twitter.com/scLX6nNJXo
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) September 7, 2020
“Laced up and ready to win,” Harris wrote, as she posted the image on Instagram.
If you have been noticing Harris’ social media feed, you will notice that she has a preference for the Converse shoes, which may not be seen on too many women politicians before.
Even her sister Maya Harris has commented on Twitter saying, “Chuck Taylors trending lol. Yes, they are in-fact her [Kamala’s] go-to.”
In a 2018 interview with The Cut, Harris had said, “I have a whole collection of Chuck Taylors: a black leather pair, a white pair, I have the kind that don’t lace, the kind that do lace, the kind I wear in the hot weather, the kind I wear in the cold weather, and the platform kind for when I’m wearing a pantsuit.”
Analysts say Harris may have chosen to wear converse shoes as a way to connect better with the youth demographic. There might be something more to her picking converse. Not only was Converse the first sporting brand to name shoes after a sports star— basketball player Chuck Taylor, but they are also known to be an every-person kind of a shoe, a comfortable pair, non-controversial. One of the oldest sneaker brands in the world, Converse shoes are also known to be unisex. So, there might be several reasons behind Harris’ this particular fashion choice.
Coming from Indian and African-American backgrounds, Harris might have chosen these practical shoes to blend in with the crowd. She has, through her career vouched for practical, but necessary changes like getting convictions for smaller crimes, marijuana use and absenteeism from schools— issues that disproportionately affect poor, coloured families. It also is a reflection on her frugal upbringing by her single mother— in a video of her cooking with television star Mindy Kaling, Harris confesses how her mother used coffee jars to store spices and mostly preferred to give her kids home-cooked meals.
