Saif Ali Khan in Love Aaj Kal kicks up a converse storm; (below) Imran Khan strikes a pose in a converse

What’s cool, comfortable, colourful and is running off the retail racks like a Bolt from the blue, black, grey….? Converse shoes.

From schoolkids to college goers to ramp walkers, everyone is either buying or eyeing a pair (if not many pairs). Some want to match Saif Ali Khan’s cool quotient on screen (Jai in Love Aaj Kal) and Imran Khan’s off it (most photo shoots), while others are bitten by the “my-friend-has-it-so-I-must” bug.

Whether it is an original at a branded outlet or a copy at a New Market store, converses — that’s what you must call them to be ‘in’ — are the bestsellers in town.

“Over the past three months, our sales have more than doubled from 30 pairs a week to 60-70 pairs a week now,” says the store manager of the Planet Sports outlet at South City mall. “The ones we sell here are a lot cheaper but almost as good as the original. We sell 40-50 pairs a week, mostly to college students,” says a New Market shopowner.

Popular worldwide ever since they were invented in 1917 in the US, converse shoes went top of the pops with the Chuck Taylor All-Stars version crowned the “most successful shoe in history”, selling 750 million pairs.

“Converse shoes have always been popular among college-goers, but since last year, I have been seeing them a lot more on campus. Pop stars and film actors have had a big role in popularising converse shoes among the youth,” says JU student Oindrila Hazra who buys a new pair every few months.

If parents are struggling to cope with the converse rage sweeping the tween, teen and 20-something gangs, they can blame some of their plight on cool dudes like Saif and Imran.

“I am a Saif fan and he has worn converses from Salaam Namaste to Love Aaj Kal,” says Priyanka Sen, 18. “I saw Imran Khan wearing a yellow pair in a magazine. I didn’t get the colour here, so I asked a friend to send me one from Mumbai,” says Ankit Agarwalla, 24.

Peer pressure is playing a big role in the surge in sales. Black, blue and grey remain favourites, but GenX is now getting brighter and bolder. “Red, green and canary yellow are hot picks. Of late, youngsters are even going for striped and spotted converses,” is the word from Planet Sports.

Experiments with converse truth go beyond stripes and stars (a star within a circle is the logo to look out for). “A friend bought a pair from Bangalore with a Tintin comic strip on it. I am desperate for one,” says Shane Dias, 19.

Converse is clearly another word for cool for the young. “Wear regular jeans and a tee, but dress it up with a colourful converse and you will make heads turn. It combines comfort with cool,” says model Jessica Gomes, who has five pairs.