In addition to designing the most effective shoes possible, Converse enhanced its reputation by sponsoring major basketball organizations and events worldwide. Converse was the first company named the official shoe of the National Basketball Association. Valid from 1995, its contract granted the company permission to use the NBA name in all advertising and promotions and to manufacture shoes with logos of NBA teams or other affiliations. Converse also supplied merchandise to cheerleaders and ball retrievers throughout the league. a b Grant, Tina (February 14, 2000). International Directory of Company Histories. Vol.31. Detroit, Michigan: St. James Press. ISBN 978-1-55862-390-3. OL 8607051M– via Funding Universe. In the case of basketball endorser Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Converse received more publicity than it may have bargained for. In 1979 Johnson was enlisted as an official company endorser until 1994. By the late 1980s, Johnson showed dissatisfaction with the deal, which placed him in the top income echelon of Converse endorsers, but yielded less than those of other top endorsers with other leading brands. After Converse filed suit against the player for failing to comply with his long-term endorsement contract in 1987, matters were resolved temporarily. Sutherlin, Margaret (November 19, 2015). "Converse Trademark Lawsuit: Skechers Declares Victory, Mixed Ruling Expected Overall". Footwear News . Retrieved February 11, 2016. Marchetti, Garrin (April 10, 2015). "Converse hangs it up in North Andover". Eagle Tribune . Retrieved January 31, 2021.

a b Bertho, Michelle; Crawford, Beverly; Fogarty, Edward A. (September 30, 2008). The Impact of Globalization on the United States [3 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313083198. Kareen Copeland (June 8, 2020). "Mystics' Natasha Cloud gets shoe deal from Converse, for her activism as much as her play". The Washington Post . Retrieved November 16, 2020. The original Converse Rubber Company soared beyond the scope of its 1908 designs until 1929 when it fell into bankruptcy. Control of the company then passed on to Mitchell B. Kaufman, who had been president of Hodgman Rubber Company since 1925. After Kaufman's untimely death a year later, his successor, Albert Wechsler, operated the company for the Kaufman estate until 1933, when a depressed economy and reduced profits prompted yet another change in command. Palmer, Thomas, 'If Converse Can't Pay, Will Its Stars Leave?,' Boston Globe, March 9, 1991, p. 15. As of July 2014, the Cons skateboard team consisted of original members Anderson, Trapasso, Baca, and Glifberg, while Jessee, Anderson, Julian Davidson, Remillard, Zered Basset, Ben Raemers, Jake Johnson, Eli Reed, Louie Lopez, Sage Elsesser, and Sean Pablo were subsequently added. [45] Bassett filmed a new advertisement that was broadcast online in July 2014, in which he skateboarded through New York City in a newly launched skate shoe version of the Converse Weapon model. [48] Philanthropy [ edit ]

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Barboza, David, 'To Build Basketball Sneaker Sales, Converse Tries a Novel Double Team,' New York Times, March 26, 1997, p. D3. Ben Felderstein (October 24, 2019). "Kelly Oubre on Signing to Converse Basketball: "It Felt Like Home" ". complex . Retrieved November 22, 2021.

Eltra was acquired by Allied Corporation in 1979. [16] Allied moved out of the consumer products business in the 1980s, and in October 1986, Converse was acquired by Interco Incorporated and spun off in 1994. [14] Aaron Meza; crailtap (November 30, 2009). "Anthony Pappalardo and (RED)" (Video upload). YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021 . Retrieved January 20, 2013.To ensure continued development of innovative and well-designed footwear, Converse invested in an advanced technologies lab staffed by a 70-member research and development team. Upon its completion in the early 1980s, it was one of only two in-house, biomechanical footwear labs in the country. The facility included work stations equipped with powerful computers, robots, and testing systems. I got into woodworking about two years ago, through a buddy of mine who I used to skate with every day—he turned into a woodworker. So he gave me this scrap box of wood ... It just definitely started consuming me as skating did. I wanted to read about it, you know? Go on the internet and watch videos about it, and just learn anything and everything I could about woodworking. The first thing I ever made was a bench, and that's, kinda, what I've been making ever since. The cool thing about working with Product (RED) is just by doing the two things that I love, I'm also able to help people. [51] Schiavenza, Matt, "Why Converse is Fighting to Keep All Stars Cool," The Atlantic, October 15, 2014.

Butler-Young, Sheena, "Iconix and Fila Settle in Converse Lawsuit Saga," Footwear News, April 9, 2015. McAlpine, Fraser (July 19, 2011). "How to Dress Like the Tenth Doctor". BBC America. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012 . Retrieved November 20, 2022.Rovell, Darren (April 5, 2011). "Dwyane Wade Gets His First Jordan Signature Shoe". CNBC . Retrieved October 19, 2018. Converse ( / ˈ k ɒ n v ər s/) is an American lifestyle brand that markets, distributes, and licenses footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 as the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts, it has been acquired by several companies before becoming a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. in 2003. [3] Converse was also a sponsor of USA Basketball beginning with its inception in 1975. The Colorado Springs-based group was responsible for selecting national teams to represent the country in various international competitions and served as a class A member of the United States Olympic Committee. After 1977, Converse was contracted as the official shoe of USA Basketball, which agreed to 'use its best efforts to outfit players in Converse shoes,' according to Jeffrey Orridge, assistant executive director for corporate and legal affairs for the sports group, in a September 1992 article in The American Lawyer. That agreement later caused legal conflicts, as USA Basketball team members including Michael Jordan held contracts with competing shoe companies such as Nike. Requiring players to wear Converse shoes introduced ethical and legal problems that had to be carefully resolved. A special collection called "1Hund (RED)", whereby fifteen percent of the profits are used to support HIV/AIDS prevention, was released by the brand. One hundred artists from around the world were chosen to create designs for the collection as part of the (RED) campaign. Professional skateboarder Anthony Pappalardo released a (RED) edition of his high-selling signature skate shoe model in February 2010. [49] [50] Pappalardo explains:

Converse initially produced winterized rubber-soled shoes and boots. During World War II, it shifted manufacturing to make footwear for the military. [4] Initially, it was one of the few producers of athletic shoes and dominated the U.S. market, but lost its position in the 1970s as competitors introduced their styles. Allied Sells Converse Unit". The New York Times. March 5, 1982. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved November 12, 2022. Verry, Peter (May 30, 2023). "Nike Exec Moves Continue: Converse Taps Jared Carver as President and CEO". Footwear News . Retrieved May 31, 2023.Converse Announces New Global Headquarters in the City of Boston". January 8, 2013 . Retrieved May 10, 2018.