Converse is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories. The company was founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 originally as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts. It has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003.
Converse initially produced winterized rubber-soled shoes and boots. During World War II it shifted manufacturing to make footwear for the military.[2] Initially, it was one of the few producers of athletic shoes and dominated the U.S. market, but lost its position in the 1970s as competitors introduced their styles.
Converse's portfolio includes products under the Chuck Taylor All-Stars, Cons, Jack Purcell, One Star, and Star Chevron trademarks. It frequently collaborates on special-edition product releases with other brands such as John Varvatos. The growth of Converse as a casual fashion accessory contributed to $2.4 billion in revenue in 2023.[3]
History
1908–1940: Early years
Forty-seven-year-old Marquis Mills Converse, a manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in February 1908, in Malden, Massachusetts.[4] The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, and its early inventory included winterized rubber-soled footwear, galoshes, tennis shoes, and some non-footwear items like automobile tires. In the summer of 1916, the Converse basketball line was established; by 1917 the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced and quickly became successful during World War I and the Spanish flu.[4][5]
In 1922, basketball player Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet, and Converse gave him a job as a salesman and ambassador.[6] He promoted the shoes around the U.S., and in 1932 Taylor's signature was added to the All-Star patch on the high-topped sneakers.
Legal issues
Starting in July 2008, Converse sent around 180 cease-and-desist letters to over 30 companies that they claimed were violating the Chuck Taylor All-Stars trademark and selling so-called look-alike sneakers. In October 2014, Converse filed a lawsuit against 30 companies for allegedly infringing on its generic sneaker style's bumper toe, striped midsole, and toe cap. The brand argued that companies were violating an alleged common-law trademark by importing sneakers with similar elements. Several companies settled with Converse and they were dropped from the list.[29][30]
In November 2015, Charles Bullock, chief administrative judge at the International Trade Commission, preliminarily ruled that several brands Converse filed against were violating Converse's outsole design trademarks, i.e. the pattern on the bottom of the sole of the shoe. The soles of the shoes are designed to allow players to jump or move in all directions. The diamond pattern makes this possible.[11] Judge Bullock further ruled that while Skechers "Twinkle Toes" brands did share similarities to Converse, "Twinkle Toes" were different enough and marketed in a way for it not to be mistaken for Chuck Taylor All-Stars.
Products
Chuck Taylor All-Stars
Converse started making an early basketball shoe in 1917 and redesigned it in 1922, when Chuck Taylor asked the company to create a better shoe with more support and flexibility. After Converse added Taylor's signature to the ankle patch they became known as Chuck Taylor All Stars. By the 1960s the company had captured about 70 to 80 percent of the basketball shoe market, but the shoe declined in popularity during the 1970s when basketball players wore competing brands. Chuck Taylor All-Stars enjoyed a comeback in popularity in the 1980s as retro-style casual footwear.[33][34]
Chuck Taylor All-Stars have made an appearance in over 650 films, such as Back to the Future, I, Robot, Grease and Stand by Me.[35] David Tennant (playing the Tenth Doctor) wore red and cream versions of Hi-top Converse on science-fiction show Doctor Who.[36]
Sponsorships
In 2019, Converse returned to performance basketball with the All-Star Pro BB. Kelly Oubre Jr. was the first player to try out the new product,[40] which combined the traditional Converse silhouette with the contemporary Nike technology. Thereafter Converse signed Draymond Green in March 2020,[41] Natasha Cloud (the first WNBA player) in June,[42] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in July,[43] and, thereafter, Rudy Gay, P. J. Tucker, DeAndre' Bembry, De'Anthony Melton, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Immanuel Quickley, Deividas Sirvydis, Jordan Clarkson, Josh Richardson, David Duke Jr., and Brandon Williams. Some of the aforementioned players also wear other brands.[44]
Skateboarding
In the 1980s, Converse sponsored several influential skaters including Jason Jessee, Rodney Mullen, and Mark Rogowski.[47] Under the "Cons" name, Converse launched its skateboarding program in 2009 with a team of "ambassadors": Kenny Anderson, Anthony Pappalardo, Nick Trapasso, Sammy Baca, Ethan Fowler, Raymond Molinar, and Rune Glifberg.[48] In 2012, the company added Jason Jessee and Mike Anderson to its ambassadors team.[49]
In August 2012, Converse sponsored a skate event at Huntington Beach, California, U.S. Trapasso, Tom Remillard,[50] Aaron Homoki, Greyson Fletcher, Ben Raemers, Ben Hatchell, Robbie Russo, and Ben Raybourn participated in the competition that was held. Raybourn eventually won the US$20,000 grand prize, and Homoki won the US$3,000 Best Trick contest.[51]
Philanthropy
A special collection called "1Hund (RED)", whereby fifteen percent of the profits are used to support HIV/AIDS prevention, was released by the brand. One hundred artists from around the world were chosen to create designs for the collection as part of the (RED) campaign. Professional skateboarder Anthony Pappalardo released a (RED) edition of his high-selling signature skate shoe model in February 2010.[55][56] Pappalardo explains:
"I got into woodworking about two years ago, through a buddy of mine who I used to skate with every day—he turned into a woodworker. So he gave me this scrap box of wood ... It just definitely started consuming me as skating did. I wanted to read about it, you know? Go on the internet and watch videos about it, and just learn anything and everything I could about woodworking. The first thing I ever made was a bench, and that's, kinda, what I've been making ever since. The cool thing about working with Product (RED) is just by doing the two things that I love, I'm also able to help people.[57]"
In 2012, Converse was listed as a partner in the (RED) campaign, together with other brands such as Nike, Inc., Girl, and Bugaboo. The campaign's mission is to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child by 2015 (the campaign's byline is "Fighting For An AIDS Free Generation").
External links
References
- Converse turns 100 Chucksconnection.com, May 29, 2008, retrieved August 31, 2011^
- Erin Ailworth. Pros and Cons Boston.com, 2008-03-02, retrieved 2022-04-26^
- Nike 2023 Form 10K Nike, Inc., retrieved August 19, 2023