[1] The shoe is popularly tied with the Maoist insurgency in Nepal that continued for a decade.
During the civil war, anyone seen wearing a pair of Goldstar shoes was enough to wind up in prison accused of being part of the rebel force due to its easy availability and cheapness.
[2] During the war, the army opted to starve the rebels by imposing a blockade that deprived Maoist strongholds of both food and footwear- the Goldstar shoes.
[3] [4][5] The Goldstar brand was initiated by Noor Pratap Rana in mid 1970s as a family business.
[8] The brand has been marketed in India, Australia and Malaysia, among other countries.