Converse | Company that created a mark with its simplicity

The converse is an American shoe company. The company is famous for its sneakers, skating shoes, lifestyle brand footwear, apparel, and accessories. The company is 114 years old.

History

Converse was founded in 1908 and is one of the oldest shoe companies in the world. Founded by Marquis Mills Converse. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer selling rubber soled footwear for men, women and children. By 1910, the company was producing shoes daily. The company began manufacturing athletic shoes in the year 1915. In the year 1918, the company introduced its all-star basketball shoes.

Way Towards Success

When the U.S. entered World War II. The company then shifted production to manufacturing rubberized footwear, outerwear, and protective suits for the military. After the end of the war, they again started the production of athletic footwear. Artist Charles Kerins created cover art that also celebrated Converse’s role in the lives of high school and college athletes. Converse brought its then biggest competitor PF Flyers.

Difficulties faced

Converse started to face difficulties and challenges when new competitors like Puma, Adidas, Nike, etc came into the market. Reebok also introduced new designs and technology to the sports market, Converse was no longer the official shoe of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
the company regained some popularity by the 1980s again but the brand eventually became dependent on the “All Stars” brand. Converse filed for bankruptcy in 2001 and after that, it closed down its manufacturing plant in the United States.

Nike Acquisitions

In the year 2003 Nike brought Converse with $ 309 million. Around 2010, Nike relaunched the footwear, taking advantage of the wave of 1980s revival. The company also expanded the Converse brand to other businesses apart from shoes, much akin to its other brands. In 2019, Converse returned to the performance basketball scene with the All-Star Pro BB. Kelly Oubre Jr. was the first player to try out the new product. The shoes had a traditional converse design and Nike Technology.

Skateboarding market

Converse launched skateboarding shoes under the name ‘Cons’ in the year 2009. The company also teamed up with a few ambassadors like Kenny Anderson, Anthony Pappalardo, Nick Trapasso, Sammy Baca, Ethan Fowler, Raymond Molinar, and Rune Glifberg. The company also sponsored a sneaker event in Huntington Beach, California, United States in the year 2012. With prize money worth the United States $ 20,000. One of the most hyped and famous Skateboarding shoes is the ‘Cons Weapon Skate’ which launched in 2014.

Chuck Taylor All-Star II

The company launched an improved model of the Chuck Taylor All-Star, the Chuck Taylor II, which was launched by the company in 2015. The company incorporated Nike technology. it retains most of the outward appearance of the original while employing a modern lightweight insole. The most notable change was the premium canvas with high-quality stitching and ni slip tongue.