Converse

Converse is a Boston-based company owned by NIKE, Inc. Since 1908, the Marquis Mills Converse-founded brand has been producing high-quality, rubber-infused products.

In its earliest days, the North American institution manufactured footwear under the Converse Rubber Shoe Company name. By 1915, the manufacturer had begun creating athletic shoes for men, women, and children, but its turning-point arrived in 1917 with the launch of the All Star basketball shoe. Today, the silhouette is known as the Chuck Taylor All Star in honor of Charles Hollis “Chuck” Taylor, a basketball player-turned-salesman and ambassador, who joined the brand in 1923. Following successful promotion and impressive sales figures, Taylor's signature was added to the high-top sneaker's design in 1932.

Throughout the next 70 years, the Malden, Massachusetts-founded manufacturer dominated the professional basketball scene, receiving much attention throughout the 1960s for its custom pairs for the first all-African American team, the New York Renaissance. Furthermore, Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points against the New York Knicks in 1962 shun the spotlight on the Chucks, the Philadelphia Warriors center's shoe of choice. Other notable contributions in the performance-basketball space included: One Star (1974), Pro Leather (1976), Starion (1984), and “The Weapon” (1986), among other models. In 2019, the brand unveiled its modern-day foray into performance basketball with the All Star Pro BB, which is commonly worn by current Phoenix Suns forward Kelly Oubre Jr.; the G4 – a silhouette inspired by the ERX-260 (1988) – debuted in April 2020 after first being unveiled alongside Draymond Green's signing with The One Star Brand.

Away from the hardwood, the company has produced protective, rubberized gear for the military; the badminton-inspired Jack Purcell; and dozens of other athletic-shoes adopted for casual wear. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, the Chuck Taylor All Star was worn among several anti-establishment groups, be they fans of the Ramones, Kurt Cobain shoe and The Clash or of Los Angeles' growing hip-hop scene in the '80s. Skateboarders also gravitated towards the One Star, which gave the sneaker a second-life after losing its popularity among basketball players. Since being bought by NIKE, Inc. in 2003, Converse has nodded to its relevance in the lifestyle space by modifying several models within its catalog, most notably the Chuck 70. Additionally, the North American-company has tapped collaborators the likes of COMME des GARÇONS PLAY, Tyler, The Creator, Carhartt WIP, Fear Of God, and KITH to deliver fashion-forward takes for everyday life.

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Converse

Tyler, the Creator Designs A Brand New Converse Silhouette: The GLF 2.0

From “Yonkers” all the way to “Igor,” Tyler, the Creator‘s sound has evolved dramatically. His style, too, has followed suit, maturing in parallel with the...

By Michael Le June 6, 2022
12927

The Converse Aeon Active CX “Himalayan Salt” Releasing Soon

Although Converse is best known for some of its basketball-shoes-turned-lifestyle stapes, the Boston-based brand has recently been experimenting with new shapes, materials and styles. Case...

By Jovani Hernandez June 5, 2022
2384

The Converse Aeon Active CX Returns Sans Crater Foam

Upon its initial debut, the Converse Aeon Active CX produced little to no fanfare; but now that A-COLD-WALL has since released their collaborative version, the...

By Michael Le June 2, 2022
3072

Woodstock Covers This Upcoming Peanuts x Converse Chuck 70

Inspired by the booming volume of the outdoor music festival of the late 1960s, Charles Schulz introduced Woodstock, the yellow singing bird and long-time fluttering...

By Sneaker News May 17, 2022
12140

Ibn Jasper Fuses Skate And Motorsports On His Converse One Star Collaboration

Lupe Fiasco once rapped, “the reason I got fly is Ibn Jasper.” To the uninformed, the name drop might’ve just been random, but to those...

By Jovani Hernandez May 17, 2022
3292

The Kendrick Lamar Co-Founded pgLang Agency Reworks Two Classic Converse Silhouettes

Kendrick Lamar has been relatively “missing in action” over the last five years, but “oklama” – the alter ego the Compton-native is putting on for his Mr....

By Jovani Hernandez May 1, 2022
13503

Rick Owens DRKSHDW And Converse Introduce The TURBOWPN

The punk-rock aesthetic has always been a springboard of inspiration for Rick Owens as he’s experimented with welding his personal aesthetic to the style of...

By Sneaker News April 29, 2022
7212

Tyler, the Creator’s Converse By You Chuck 70 Available For One Day Only

As Tyler, the Creator continues to dominate different spaces, he’s returning to the footwear industry via his Golf Wang label in collaboration with Converse. For...

By Jovani Hernandez April 21, 2022
29333

A-COLD-WALL x Converse Aeon Active CX Revealed In “Black/Apple Green” Colorway

Alongside Nike, A-COLD-WALL created some of the most divisive footwear of the past few years. Their Zoom Vomero 5, for example, was both ridiculed and...

By Michael Le April 5, 2022
4582