Converse Shoes
Converse is an
American shoe company that has been selling shoes since the early 20th century. Marquis M Converse opened the business in
Massachusetts in
1908 as a rubber shoe manufacturer. It's main turning point came in
1917 when the canvas All Star was introduced. Then in
1918, a basketball player named Charles "Chuck" H. Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet. Converse gave him a job. His work as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the
USA so impressed Converse that in
1923, Chuck Taylor's name began appearing on the ankle patch, and the shoes became affectionately known as
Chucks. He tirelessly continued this work until shortly before his death in
1969.
For decades, Chucks only came in black or white, but under pressure from basketball teams it was decided in 1966 to manufacture many different colors. Different materials started to appear also, such as leather, suede and vinyl, rather than just canvas.
Converse's line of shoes also include Jack Purcell and Heritage.
Wildly popular during the 1970s and early 1980s, Converse lost some of its popularity and apparemt monopoly during the middle 1980s and much of the 1990s, with the surge of new competitors such as Nike, who introduced radical new designs to the market. Converse found themselves to be no longer the official shoe of the National Basketball Association, a title they had enjoyed for many, many years. This loss of market share, combined with poor business decisions forced Converse to file for bankruptcy in 2001. Manufacturing is no longer performed in the USA, but instead in a number of Asian countries, namely China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
In July, 2003 the company accepted a $305 million purchase offer from rival Nike.
Despite the major setbacks for Converse in recent times, the Converse All Star Chuck Taylor is the most successful shoe in history. By the turn of the 21st century, over 600 million pairs have been sold worldwide. They no longer seem to be worn by their original target market of basketballers (at least not in the professional sphere), but instead by the average guy or girl in the street. Some are so enthusiastic about the sneakers that they have a vast, ever-growing collection. They are also quite popular amongst musicians. Hollywood has popularised Chucks in countless motion pictures, both with real actors and virtual ones such as Stuart Little the mouse who wears a red pair.
In addition, Converse had a famous television ad campaign during the early 1980s for the Chuck Taylors, featuring Larry Bird, Julius Erving and Magic Johnson, who commented "They're everywhere!" on the commercials.
