Converse History Case Study

Converse is a shoe company based in the United States that creates, sells, and licenses sneakers, lifestyle brand footwear, skating shoes, apparel, and even accessories. Despite the fact that the company has been around since 1908, Converse's history is rich in sports and pop culture. Anyone, regardless of style, can wear their shoes. This article will look at the history of the Converse brand and how it become one of the world's leading shoe brands.

Converse History – The beginning

In 1908, Mr. Marcus Mills Converse established the Converse Rubber Company in Malden, Massachusetts.

The well-known shoe company was originally a rubber company that attempted to make anything out of rubber.

Galoshes, leather duck hunting boots, vehicle tires, tennis shoes, and basketball shoes were among the items.

Converse History – Creating a Brand 

Converse Rubber Company began manufacturing rubber-soled shoes on a regular basis by 1910. The company had enlarged its facilities to produce approximately 4000 pairs of boots and rubbers every day.

Converse Rubber Shoe Company chose to enter the sporting market in 1915. Tennis was the company's initial focus. Converse Rubber Shoe Company began making tennis shoes specifically for players.

Moving forward to 1916, when basketball was becoming a popular sport, the business discovered that there were few shoe options for basketball players. Basketball was a relatively new sport that had already taken the United States by storm. The Converse factory was fewer than a hundred miles from Springfield, where basketball was conceived. Young people grew interested in the relatively new sport because it was surrounded by colleges and private schools.

Although the timing wasn't ideal, focusing on a sport that was already sweeping the country made sense. With the growing popularity of basketball, Converse Corporation saw the necessity to produce appropriate basketball shoes.

Converse Rubber Company released the first version of the All-Star basketball shoe in 1917, after much research and development. The All-Star sneaker was originally brown with black accent.

The NBA All-Star was not the first basketball shoe. However, it possessed specific characteristics that distinguished it from its competitors. These characteristics included an inside heel patch (often located on the outside) and a device ostensibly designed to preserve players' ankle bones. Aside from them, the diamond-thread pattern served as the foundation of the design, allowing players to travel in any direction and halt swiftly.

Converse History – The Legendary Charles “Chuck” Taylor

In 1921, basketball player Charles "Chuck" Taylor joined Converse after complaining to the sales office in Chicago about having aching feet from wearing their sneaker. Soon after, he persuaded the company to launch a line of basketball-specific shoes on the condition that he work for the company as a salesperson. This agreement required him to advertise and promote the All-Star, which did not initially bear his name.

Charles Taylor, an accomplished salesperson, soon took over as head of the Converse sales force. His excellent sales presentation and innovative marketing strategies, such as the basketball clinics and mini-training he hosted in high schools across America, helped him become well-known. He also taught basketball to children and gave them Converse basketball yearbooks, which attempted to highlight basketball culture while simultaneously marketing the sneaker. The name and the shoe became something synonymous with the sport, which is beloved by players all over the world.

Charles "Chuck" Taylor continued to influence All-Star designs, and sales continued to soar. Converse's history was changed in 1932 when Converse put his name, "Chuck Taylor," to the famed ankle patch design. Then came the "Chuck Taylor All-Star."

Converse History – The Chuck Taylor All-Star shoe becomes a patriotic symbol

When Charles Taylor was given the distinction of creating the sports shoe for the United States Olympic Basketball team in the 1930s, Converse made a breakthrough and became a patriotic symbol. The white high-top variant was designed by Charles Taylor, who included patriotic red and blue decorations to represent the American flag.

Converse white high-tops also became the official sneakers of the United States Armed Forces during WWII. Soldiers wore the white high-tops for exercise and training because they were more comfortable, flexible, and light than the heavy leather battle boots. These events solidified the All-reputation Star's as a symbol of patriotism.

The Chuck Taylor All-popularity Star's grew even more after WWII. Everyone who liked basketball owned or desired a pair. The shoe became so successful that Converse decided to release a low-cut version of the All-Star Chuck Taylor sneaker dubbed the "Oxford" in 1957. Throughout Converse's history, the Oxford was available in a variety of colors and became extremely popular with people looking for a more casual alternative to the basketball-focused high-top version.

Converse History – Converse’s First-ever Black Version

The NBA was formed in 1946 when the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and the National Basketball League (NBL) united to become the National Basketball Association (NBA). Converse released the first-ever black Chuck Taylor All-Star the same year. Because of its sleek appearance, this black version became quite popular among professional basketball players.

The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star in white and black became the go-to sneaker for professional, collegiate, and high school basketball players. It got so popular that if you wanted to play basketball seriously, you had to acquire a pair of Chucks.

Converse released an updated version of the All-Star in 1969, a few years after the Oxford model was introduced in 1957. With a new fit, this enhanced version was fashioned from quality materials such as leather. However, this was a sad year in Converse history because Charles Taylor died unexpectedly of a heart attack.

Converse History – Nike’s Rivalry and a shift in Converse Brand’s Focus

Following the death of Charles Taylor, firms like as Nike began to develop. With new technology and innovations in sports footwear, the basketball footwear market saw athletes gravitate for these "futuristic" performance-enhancing styles, which were preferred over the basic, flat-soled Chucks.

Nike introduced innovative technologies and specific footwear solutions for professional basketball players and other athletes in the 1970s. The Converse brand vanished swiftly from the sporting business.

Converse's downfall in the sporting world, on the other hand, created prospects in other areas. The basic aesthetic was embraced by big personalities in the music industry, particularly the punk rock movement. The shoe also became a symbol of rebellion, serving as an alternative for individuals seeking a laid-back aesthetic but unwilling to pay the higher rates for technology-backed performance designs from companies like Nike.

Instead of fighting Nike indefinitely, Converse switched its brand focus to fashion rather than functionality. The Converse company shifted its focus from athletic shoes to casual shoes, establishing the image of the Converse All-Stars as a cultural icon for everyone, not just athletes. The Chucks, which were initially only available in black or white, eventually became available in a plethora of colors, prints, and pattern designs. The shoe was initially composed of cotton, but Converse quickly added suede and leather versions. All of these acts make Converse shoes suitable for a variety of fashion styles.

Chuck Taylors were rapidly adopted as a symbol of the underdog by artists and musicians. Elvis Presley, Michael Meyers, and Michael J. Fox all donned the Chuck Taylor in their films at this period in Converse history, further marketing the sneaker as one for young rebels. These low-cost sneakers became a symbol of American subcultures as the throwback look of the punk rock era's grunge style. The popularity of the Chuck Taylor All-Star shoes exploded, as it did in the basketball industry, catering to Rockstars, skateboarders, and anyone seeking a laid-back or rebellious attitude.

Converse History – Filing For Bankruptcy

Despite expanding into new areas and growing in popularity, Converse was unable to profit due to changes in ownership and management, and the company eventually declared bankruptcy.

However, due to Converse's rich history and culture, Nike Inc. purchased the company for $305 million and relocated it to China, where Nike manufactured the majority of its items. Nike's creative marketing team developed various inventive ads that seized on the rise of "alternative trends," pop culture, and skateboarders. Converse was back on track a few years later, with the Chuck Taylor All-Star selling for an all-time high of $450 million in 2012.

Converse created a collection of Chuck Taylors inspired by Andy Warhol, known for his pop-art portrayals of American popular culture, in 2015. The high-top and low-top Chuck Taylor shoes remained popular. The Chuck Taylor low-top shoes were the second best-selling sneakers in the United States in 2017 and had previously been in the top 10 best-selling shoes.

Conclusion

Converse and its shoes are distinctive. It is one of the few brands that has persisted after dominating two markets (sport and fashion). Even after more than a century in business, the company shows no signs of slowing down, with its shoes being among the world's best-selling footwear.