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

Ader Error And Converse Reintroduce The Wave Trainer And More

South Korea’s Ader Error is responsible for bringing a lot of worldwide eyeballs to the peninsula over the last decade. In late 2022, they burst...

By Sneaker News June 27, 2025
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Converse Celebrates Thunder’s First NBA Championship With SHAI 001 Giveaway For OKC

There’s something magical about small-market teams winning it all. The losses may sting and the burns tend to linger a little longer, but hoisting a...

By Sneaker News June 25, 2025
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SGA’s Converse Shoes Are Dropping Early In OKC

While the rest of the world has to wait until later this Fall to cop the Shai Gilgeous Alexander shoes, Converse is unleashing a special...

By Sneaker News June 24, 2025
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Converse SHAI 001 “Butter” Launches This Fall

The Converse SHAI 001 signature shoe has officially been unveiled during the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend. The new Converse Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoes are confirmed to...

By Sneaker News June 22, 2025
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Fragment Design and Various Artists Meet Converse Again With A Jack Purcell

Fragment Design and Tokyo streetwear brand Various Artists are reconvening for another three-way collaboration with Converse. Following a Chuck 70 collab in late 2024, Hiroshi...

By Andrew Rizzo June 20, 2025
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Converse Collides With The The World Of Doraemon Once Again

Those who stay locked in to our coverage may be getting a sense of deja vu: “Didn’t Converse x Doraemon already happen?” You’d be correct,...

By Matt Varga June 17, 2025
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MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Unveils Converse SHAI 001 “Masi Blue” Ahead Of NBA Finals

It’s hard for any NBA player to have as fortunate a season as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did. While the result of the 2025 NBA Finals will...

By Matt Varga June 4, 2025
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Converse Fires Shots At adidas After OKC Crushes Minnesota

Converse wants all the smoke. Following OKC’s 124-94 win over Minnesota to advance to the NBA Finals, the @conversehoops IG page shared a video dissing...

By Andrew Rizzo May 29, 2025
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Isabel Marant And Converse Want To Make Sneaker Wedges Hot Again

When discussing the explosion of the women’s sneaker business. Isabel Marant‘s name doesn’t come up enough. In the 2010s, the French designer presented one of...

By Sneaker News May 28, 2025
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