Converse

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Converse is an American shoe company that has been selling shoes since the early 20th century. Marquis M. Converse opened the business in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908, as a rubber shoe manufacturer, and its main turning point came in 1917 when the canvas All-Star was introduced.

Converse is an American shoe company that has been selling shoes since the early 20th century. Marquis M. Converse opened the business in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908, as a rubber shoe manufacturer. Its main turning point came in 1917 when the canvas "All-Star" was introduced. Then in 1918, a basketball player named Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor  walked into Converse complaining of sore feet.  Converse gave him a job. His work as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the United States so impressed Converse that in 1923, Chuck Taylor's name began appearing on the ankle patch, and the shoes became affectionately known as Chucks. He tirelessly continued this work until shortly before his death in 1969.

For decades, Chucks only came in black or white, but under pressure from basketball teams it was decided in 1966 to manufacture many different colors. Different materials started to appear also, such as leather, suede and vinyl, and even hemp, rather than just canvas.

Converse's line of shoes also include Jack Purcell and Heritage.

Wildly popular during the 1970s and early 1980s, Converse lost some of its popularity and apparent monopoly during the mid-1980s and much of the 1990s, with the surge of new competitors such as Nike, who introduced radical new designs to the market. Converse found themselves to be no longer the official shoe of the National Basketball Association, a title they had enjoyed for many, many years. This loss of market share, combined with poor business decisions forced Converse to file for bankruptcy on January 22, 2001. When the company subsequently changed hands that year, the last factory in the United States was closed. Thereafter, manufacturing for the American market was no longer performed in the U.S.A., but instead in a number of Asian countries, including China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

On July 9, 2003, the company accepted a $305 million purchase offer from rival Nike.

Despite the major setbacks for Converse in recent times, the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star is the most successful shoe in history. By the turn of the 21st century, over 600 million pairs have been sold worldwide. They no longer seem to be worn by their original target market of basketballers (at least not in the professional sphere), but instead by the average boy or girl in the street. Some are so enthusiastic about the sneakers that they have a vast, ever-growing collection. They are also quite popular amongst musicians. Converse All Stars have been popular for decades in the American punk and indie rock scenes, and Hollywood has popularized Chucks in countless motion pictures.

In addition, Converse had a famous television ad campaign during the early 1980s for the Chuck Taylors, featuring Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Magic Johnson, who commented "They're everywhere!" on the commercials.

The BSD Daemon is commonly depicted wearing a pair of Converse shoes, particularly in the versions used by FreeBSD.

Converse currently has Andre Miller, Mike Sweetney, Jameer Nelson, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade as endorsers in the NBA.

Converse Women's

Converse Men's

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A Rubber Shoe Company Finds Its Shoe

Converse began as a rubber shoe manufacturer, one of many American footwear firms of its era, and its history turned on a single product: the canvas All-Star of 1917. A canvas upper on a rubber sole was a practical athletic shoe — light, flexible and inexpensive — and basketball, then a growing school and gymnasium sport, gave it a purpose. The decisive step was human rather than technical. Chuck Taylor joined as salesman and ambassador in 1918, travelling the United States promoting the shoes, and his name on the ankle patch from 1923 turned a generic team shoe into a named, endorsed product decades before athlete endorsement became an industry system. Taylor kept promoting the shoes until shortly before his death in 1969.

From Team Colours to Street Uniform

The changes of 1966 loosened the shoe's tie to the court. Colours beyond black and white, requested by basketball teams, made the All-Star a matter of personal choice, and new materials — leather, suede, vinyl, even hemp alongside canvas — widened it further. When Converse lost ground in professional basketball during the 1980s and 1990s to competitors with radical new designs, and lost its standing as the official shoe of the NBA, the All-Star's second life was already established: worn by ordinary wearers in the street, collected enthusiastically by some, and adopted in American punk and indie rock scenes and in countless Hollywood films. A famous early-1980s television campaign with Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Magic Johnson declaring the shoes were everywhere captured both lives at once.

Record Sales Through Hard Times

The company's later history is one of contrast. Business setbacks led to bankruptcy in January 2001, the closure of the last United States factory, and production moving to Asian countries including China, Indonesia and Vietnam, before Nike's 305 million dollar purchase in 2003. Yet the Chuck Taylor All-Star itself is described as the most successful shoe in history, with over 600 million pairs sold worldwide by the turn of the 21st century — a single, largely unchanged design outlasting the corporate troubles of the company that created it, alongside other Converse lines such as Jack Purcell and Heritage.

Common Questions

How did Chuck Taylor's name get on Converse shoes?

Basketball player Charles H. 'Chuck' Taylor came to Converse in 1918 complaining of sore feet and was given a job as salesman and ambassador promoting the shoes across the United States. In 1923 his name began appearing on the ankle patch, and the shoes became known as Chucks.

When did Converse All-Stars gain colours and new materials?

For decades Chucks came only in black or white. In 1966, under pressure from basketball teams, Converse began manufacturing them in many different colours. Different materials followed as well, including leather, suede and vinyl, and even hemp, rather than just canvas.

What happened to Converse in 2001 and 2003?

Converse filed for bankruptcy on January 22, 2001, after losing market share to competitors such as Nike, and its last factory in the United States closed that year. On July 9, 2003, the company accepted a 305 million dollar purchase offer from Nike.

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