Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars

About

The Chuck Taylor All-Stars began life in 1917 as the Converse Non-Skids, a basketball shoe built with a rubber sole and canvas upper. When salesman Chuck Taylor joined Converse in 1921, he proposed design improvements to enhance the shoe's flexibility and ankle support, and the restyled shoe incorporated a distinctive All-Star logo on the circular ankle patch. His signature was added to that patch, making the Chuck Taylor the first celebrity-endorsed athletic shoe in history. Taylor held basketball clinics across the United States and managed the Converse All Stars touring team from 1926 to 1927 to build awareness. By the 1960s, Converse controlled roughly 70 to 80 percent of the basketball shoe market, with 90 percent of professional and college players wearing them. The shoe also served as the official footwear of the U.S. Olympic basketball team and as standard-issue training shoes for the Armed Forces during World War II. By 2000, over 600 million pairs had been sold. Nike acquired Converse in 2003 for approximately $305 million.