I was sitting think about my father and I realized he only wore “Chuck Taylor” Converse. I mean every day of his life –cutting the grass, painting the house, and shooting the hoops. He loved those Converse…I think he had at least 10 pair –white, blue, or black. Maybe those wear the only colors at the time, I can’t remember.
So, I look up the history of the Converse and found some interest stuff I would like to share with you.
History of the CONVERSE…
The Converse Rubber Company was established by Marquis M. Converse in Massachusetts in 1908. The company was already making shoes called, “Galoshes” (I loved them) before entering the world of athletic footwear. But in 1917, Converse introduced the All Star. Did you know it was the first basketball shoe…that’s must be why my father loved them so much. The original shoe was natural brown with black trim. Later in the 1920’s a black canvas and pair with leather upper ankle material was available.
The basketball market ate them up, but everything become a little more exciting when the company had its first professional endorser, Charles Hollis “Chuck” Taylor, who was a basketball player with the original Celtic.
Taylor joined Converse as a salesman and brand evangelist in 1921. In 1932, Converse added Chuck Taylor’s name to the All Star’s ankle design.
Converse was forced to file for bankruptcy on January 22, 2001. It had lost the majority of its market share to Reebok and Nike. Nike purchased Converse in 2003 for $305 million.
My father would be proud that the Converse “Chuck” Taylor is still going strong…