Converse is an American sneaker and apparel brand, founded in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts by Marquis Mills Converse. Originally a winterized rubber footwear company, Converse pivoted to athletic footwear in 1917 with the introduction of the All-Star basketball shoe. The company has been a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003.
The Chuck Taylor All Star
The Chuck Taylor All Star — the most-sold basketball shoe in history, with over 1 billion pairs sold globally — traces to 1917 when Converse introduced the "Non-Skids." In 1921, basketball player Chuck Taylor joined Converse as a salesman and player-coach. In 1932, his name was added to the ankle patch, and "Chuck Taylor" became an official part of the shoe's identity. The silhouette has been essentially unchanged since 1936 — canvas upper, rubber toe cap, cotton laces, and vulcanized rubber sole.
Iconic silhouettes
- Chuck Taylor All Star (1917) — high-top canvas basketball shoe turned universal lifestyle staple
- Chuck 70 — premium reissue of 1970s-era Chuck Taylor construction, introduced 2013
- One Star (1974) — low-top basketball shoe with single star on side
- Jack Purcell (1935) — tennis silhouette with the signature "smile" toe cap
- Pro Leather (1974) — premium leather basketball silhouette, worn by Julius Erving
- Run Star Hike — modern platform reinterpretation of the Chuck Taylor
- Weapon (1986) — basketball high-top endorsed by Larry Bird, Magic Johnson
Cultural journey
The Chuck Taylor was the official basketball shoe of the US Olympic team from 1936 to 1968 and the US Armed Forces training shoe in WWII. As basketball footwear evolved to leather and specialized cushioning in the late 1970s, Chuck Taylors transitioned into punk rock, skate, and lifestyle footwear. Every major subculture — punk, grunge, hip-hop, indie rock — has adopted Chuck Taylors as unofficial uniform.
Collaborations
Converse's collaboration program leans creative and design-forward: Comme des Garçons PLAY (long-running heart-logo Chucks), Rick Owens (DRKSHDW releases), JW Anderson, Ambush, Kim Jones, Tyler, The Creator's Golf le Fleur (GLF) line, Offspring, and virtually every celebrity musician-designer partnership of the 2010s-2020s.