Established by Marquis Mills Converse in Massachusetts in 1908, Converse is an American athletic-shoe brand with nearly a century of footwear innovation under its laces. Within a few years of opening, the enterprising business was turning out thousands of pairs of men's, women's and kids' rubber-soled shoes. In 1915, the company began manufacturing tennis shoes; a few years later, it started selling basketball sneakers, called "All Stars."
Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor, nicknamed "Mr. Basketball," a player for the Akron Firestones, joined Converse in 1918 as one of the country's first athlete-endorsers, and in 1923, his distinctive signature was added to the All Star patch on classic, black high-topped sneakers. Chuck Taylors, or "Chucks," as we know them, were born.
The Jack Purcell, with its distinctive black line or "smile" on the front of the shoe, hit the market in 1935. Named after Purcell, a 1930s badminton champ, the shoes soon gained classic status.
Converse Sneakers: Beyond the Basketball Court
Chucks made the jump from the basketball court to the public consciousness in the 1950s, when bobby-soxers – and Hollywood – discovered the casual, inexpensive footwear. After matinee idol James Dean was photographed wearing a T-shirt, jeans and white Converse sneakers, the outfit became a uniform for American teens. As its popularity grew, the company added other colors and styles to the line.During the 1960s and 1970s, Converse expanded its merchandise to include performance footwear for basketball, tennis, football and other sports, and more high-profile athletes signed on to endorse new styles and models.
Historic Brand's Decline
In the 1980s, Converse sneakers found their way onto the feet of punk rockers, but overall demand for the rubber-toed shoes began to decline -- and continued on its downward slope for the next 20 years, as other companies introduced performance shoes with pumps, gels and other technological advances. In 2001, the company filed for bankruptcy. It was bought in 2003 by Nike, which continues to manufacture the classic shoes.The original canvas-and-rubber classic Converse All Star, with the Chuck Taylor name and endorsement added in 1923, has remained a global icon. By the company's estimates, more than 750 million pairs of All Star shoes have been sold in 144 countries.
Converse's current Re-Issue line is mined from the company's original archives and includes a variety of classic athletic performance styles worn by sports personalities throughout the company's history.
