Converse: Man Has Always Made Just the Right Shoe

History In 1908, the Converse Rubber Shoe Company was founded in Malden, Massachusetts

by Marquis Mills Converse. The company originally sold tennis shoes, rubber soled shoes, rain boots, and even car tires. The rain boots were especially a hit, as the company manufactured over 4,000 pairs daily.

Later, in 1917, Converse established their basketball sneakers called the Converse All-Star, which was quite a success during the Spanish flu and World War I.

After its initial success, the company teamed up with basketball player Charles H. “Chuck” Taylor after he walked into the manufacturing plant with sore feet. Converse made Taylor a salesperson and ambassador of the shoe. In 1932, the All-Star patch started to feature Taylor’s signature, as we know the patch today.

After making mostly equipment like outerwear and rubberized shoes and boots for World War II soldiers, Converse resumed the production of their high-top sneakers in black and white colors.

Basketball In the 1950s, Chuck Taylors became the standard basketball shoe amongst basketball players of all levels. In the 1960s, Converse covered about 70 to 80 percent of the basketball sneaker market, becoming the number one option for 90 percent of American professional and college players.

The shoe was so popular that Chuck Taylor was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Some of basketball’s greatest early moments were made with players wearing a pair of chucks. On March 2, 1962, center Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in an NBA game while wearing a pair.

Converse even designed specially customized shoes for the New York Renaissance, the first all-African-American professional basketball team. The team played from 1923 to 1948 in Harlem.

Though the Chuck Taylor All Stars lost basketball popularity in the 1970s due to other shoewear companies like Nike, Puma, and Adidas reigning supreme, they maintained their role in fashion as a simple but iconic silhouette.

Design Evolution In 1910, Converse created their first sneaker. With a tan canvas upper and dark rubber sole, these high-tops didn’t gain much popularity because many didn’t need these shoes.

In 1915, Marquis Mills Converse switched gears, attempting only to create sporty footwear meant to be used among athletes. Two years later, in 1917, the Non-Skids were released, which was the most like the Chuck Taylors we see today.

In 1969, Converse released a premium leather version of the shoe with a revised fit, which was meant to be a more fashion-forward version than athletic shoes. Throughout the 1970s, Chuck Taylors were more considered leisure shoes and less as basketball shoes, but the silhouette remained the same, though material quality improved and colors were added.

“It’s n of s d

nothing short state-of-the-art design. They are on the same level as a sculpture of David or the Mona Lisa.”

- Virgil Abloh

Converse as a brand expanded through collaborations with DC Comics, Keith Haring, and Coca-Cola, as well as clothing brands such as Stussy, Golf Wang, and COMME des GARÇONS with new versions of the Converse logo featured.