Harley Carruthers

Converse is an American shoe company that designs, distributes, and licenses sneakers, skating shoes, lifestyle brand footwear, apparel, and accessories. Founded in 1908, it has been a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003.

Converse is an American footwear brand known for its canvas and rubber shoes, particularly the Chuck Taylor All Star. Founded in 1908, Converse has undergone a series of ownership changes over the years as well as periods of financial hardship, including two bankruptcy filings. Converse has been owned by Nike since 2003. In 2015, Converse was reported to sell 100 million pairs of Chuck Taylor All Stars annually.

The original 1917 Converse All Star shoe.

Converse was originally founded as Converse Rubber Shoe Company in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse in Malden, Massachusetts. As the company name suggests, Converse shoes were primarily constructed using rubber. The company gained traction in 1917 with the introduction of the Converse All Star, a basketball shoe made of canvas and rubber. The All Star was the first mass produced basketball shoe in North America. In 1921, American basketball player Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor joined Converse's sales team after discovering the All Star shoe. He brought new shoe designs and marketing ideas to the company. Taylor also worked to promote the sport of basketball nationwide by holding basketball clinics in schools, teaching basketball to kids, and sharing Converse shoes and yearbooks. In 1929 Converse declared bankruptcy due to company mismanagement and a bad investment in rubber tires. Founder Marquis Mills Converse died of a heart attack in 1931. Sometime after his death, the company was sold to the Stone family.

During World War II, Converse shifted its manufacturing to make footwear for the military. It was one of the few producers of athletic shoes and for over a half century the company dominated the American athletic shoe market. From the 1970s, the company lost its dominant position as competitors presented their own styles.

A modern-day white hi-top Chuck Taylor All Star shoe.

In 1932 Converse recognized Taylor for his contributions to the company by adding his name to the All Star's ankle patch detail, thus creating the Chuck Taylor All Star. By that point, the shoe was widely worn by basketball players in America. In 1936 Taylor designed the Converse white hi-top model with patriotic red and blue accents for the US Olympic basketball team. The shoes were also worn by American World War II soldiers during exercise and training. They eventually became the official sneaker of the United States Armed Forces. During World War II, Converse shifted away from shoe production and began producing protective footwear, boots, parkas, and various equipment to support American war efforts.

Today the company's portfolio include products under the Converse, Cons, Chuck Taylor All-Star ("Chucks"), Jack Purcell, One Star, and Star Chevron trademarks. Converse frequently collaborates on special edition product releases with other brands such as John Varvatos. Converse shoes are distinguished by a number of features, including the company's star insignia, the All Star's rubber sole, smooth rounded toe, and wrap-around strip.

After the war, Converse introduced the All Star shoe in a black and white colorway. In 1957 Converse released the Oxford, a low-top version of the All Star. The Oxford was popular with non-basketball players and was tailored as a shoe of leisure rather than one of sport. At this point in time, Converse was dominating the athletic footwear industry and had been for some time. Throughout the 1960s, Converse held about 90 percent of the American sneaker market. This came to an end in the 1970s after companies like Nike gained a more competitive edge by developing new footwear technologies, meeting the new demands of the athletic market which called for futuristic, performance-enhancing designs. In 1971, Converse was acquired by the Eltra Corporation.

As of 2019, Converse sold products through 109 company-owned retail stores in the United States and 63 stores in international markets.

A black-and-white Converse All Star Oxford shoe.

Instead of competing with the evolving athletic shoe market, Converse began to market the All Star as a fashionable lifestyle shoe. Many new colorways, prints, and patterns were created, and the shoe was soon adopted by the punk rock music scene. Its popularity expanded to other subcultures and music scenes throughout the 1980s and beyond, establishing the All Star as a new symbol for alternative culture rather than basketball. On January 1, 1982, Converse was purchased from Allied Corporation in a leveraged buyout by thirty-six members of management and outside investors. Eltra Corporation, Converse's previous owner, had been acquired by Allied in 1979. The company exchanged hands again in August 1986 when it was sold to Interco Inc. for $146 million. In November 1994, Interco spun off Converse to shareholders.

On January 22, 2001 Converse filed for bankruptcy protection. The company planned a business restructuring that involved closing its North American plants and moving all production overseas. Converse agreed to further reduce its debt by selling its North Reading headquarters building. In addition, Converse had signed a deal with Global Brand Marketing Inc. to make the company a licensee of Converse footwear, thus increasing Converse's royalty income. In late March 2001, Converse closed its US plants and announced its sell-off of the company's rights to make and distribute Converse footwear in the US. In April 2001, Converse was purchased by Footwear Acquisition Inc. for $117.5 million. This covered the company's debts and it was saved from bankruptcy. In December 2002 Converse filed to raise an $86 million initial public offering (IPO). On March 31, 2003, Converse announced it would delay its IPO amidst the start of the Iraq War.

On July 9, 2003 Nike announced its intention to purchase Converse for $305 million. The acquisition was reported complete in September 2003. In August 2004, Converse launched a campaign to promote Chuck Taylor All Stars. Nike refrained from making major changes to the Converse brand but was still able to revive shoe sales over the years and make the company financially successful again. In January 2013, Converse announced the construction of a new headquarters location in Boston. The move took place in May 2015.

In October 2014, Converse filed lawsuits against thirty-one companies for trademark infringement. Converse stated the companies it filed suit against, which included Walmart, Fila, and Ed Hardy, were selling knockoff versions of Chuck Taylor shoes. Converse claimed that the All Star's trademarks included the stripes around the shoe, the rubber toe bumper, and the toe cap. The three listed trademarks were deemed valid by an International Trade Commission judge the following month in November. In response to the series of lawsuits Converse filed, New Balance filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Converse in December 2014, alleging that Chuck Taylor All Stars bore a great resemblance to New Balance’s PF Flyers. New Balance was not one of the thirty-one companies sued by Converse, but had decided to take a preemptive strike to prevent a later lawsuit. New Balance's lawsuit also requested the cancelation of Converse's trademark for its Chuck Taylor shoes. The majority of the thirty-one companies sued by Converse settled out of court within a few months, but a few continued to fight the lawsuits along with New Balance.

An All Star Modern shoe.

In July 2015 Converse introduced the All Star II. The new version of the shoe utilized Lunarlon cushioning technology. Most available pairs sold out within twenty-four hours of launch. While the All Star II was popular at first, its high price––$20 more than the classic All Stars––made long-term sales unsustainable, and the shoe's release was ultimately considered a flop after sales failed to meet expected demand. The All Star Modern was released in June 2016. Unlike the All Star II, the Modern distinguished itself as a new shoe rather than a reinvention of a Converse classic.

In June 2016, after a full review by the International Trade Commission, the November 2014 decision regarding Converse's trademarks was overturned, with the ITC claiming that only Converse's diamond-patterned outsole was trademarked. However, this ruling was later reversed again in October 2018 after an appeals court claimed the ITC had "erred in applying the wrong standard in aspects of both its invalidity and infringement determination." In November 2020, the ITC ruled that while some elements of Converse’s orignally claimed trademarks were protectable, the brands that were sued by Converse had still not infringed upon them. In January 2021, Converse filed another series of lawsuits regarding trademark infringement of its shoes, this time against 589 websites and 676 social media accounts.

The history of the brand Yeezy and the story of yeezy boost begins in 2013, but the first shoes and clothing Kanye West began to create long before that. Kanye’s first serious work was in 2006 with Bape - Kanye West x BAPE 'Dropout Bear' Bapesta.

Unlike the Kanye style now, he used to love quite colorful colors. This was perfectly reflected in his 2007 acclaimed album, which had many hypnotic tones. Designed in collaboration with the Japanese street brand A Bathing Ape , which we all know and love. This ultra-limited pair of sneakers was actually mentioned in the song «Stronger», in the line «Especially in my pastel, on my BAPE sh*t».

Adidas Yeezy was a fashion collaboration between sportswear company Adidas and rapper Kanye West. The collection is primarily known for its footwear series, with its sneakers being referred to as Yeezys, although the brand has also produced apparel. The partnership was terminated by Adidas in October 2022 after West made a series of antisemitic remarks.

Yeezy Boost 750.

Adidas announced the collaboration with West in November 2013. The first Adidas Yeezy shoe to launch was Yeezy Boost 750 in February 2015. It featured a suede upper, mid-foot strap, and a full zipper that ran up the back heel. Yeezy Boost 350 was another popular Yeezy shoe that launched in 2015, which Footwear News named shoe of the year. Adidas Yeezy's first line of apparel, Yeezy Season 1, launched in late October 2015. West described it as a “solutions-based” line. Yeezy Apparel was only funded by Adidas through 2016; by that point West was bankrolling it himself. In 2016, West and Adidas agreed to continue the Adidas Yeezy collaboration through 2026. Adidas described the deal as the "most significant partnership between a non-athlete and a sports brand." 2016 saw the release of Yeezy Boost 350 V2; its first silhouette was "Beluga." In March 2017 the Calabasa apparel line debuted, as did the "dad shoe" trend with the release of Yeezy Powerphase. This trend was furthered with the release of the chunky Yeezy Boost 700 "Waverunner" in November 2017. In 2018 the Yeezy 500 line was introduced in a series of neutral color tones. This line used adiprene soles instead of Boost technology like past Yeezy silhouettes.

Yeezy Foam Runner.

By 2019 Yeezy sales had surpassed $1 billion annually; the collection earned a total of $1.3 billion that year. 2019 was also the year West became Yeezy's creative director, and the year of the first Yeezy Day. Yeezy Day is an annual sale day that usually takes place over the course of two days in the beginning of August. It centers around a number of Yeezy shoe restocks and releases. West later accused Adidas of creating Yeezy Day without his approval. Notable releases of 2019 included Yeezy Slides and the re-release of the Yeezy Desert Boot, which had originally launched in 2015. Also dropped that year were multiple new colorways of Yeezy Powerphases and Boost 350s, 500s, and 700s. In 2020, Yeezy sales reached nearly $1.7 billion. 2020 saw a return of the "dad shoe" trend with the chunky silhouette of the Yeezy Boost 700 MNVN. The futuristic Yeezy Foam Runner was launched in late June 2020. 2021 saw releases including the Yeezy Knit Runner as both a sneaker and a boot, along with the Yeezy NSLTD Boot and multiple new colorway iterations of past Yeezy designs. Production of Yeezys slowed in 2022 as West focused more on the release of his albums Donda and Donda 2. Some of the shoes released that year included the Yeezy 350 V2 CMPCT and Yeezy BSKTBL Knit. Altogether, 236 pairs of Yeezy shoes were released over the course of the Adidas Yeezy partnership.

Yeezy Slides.

In September 2022, West accused Adidas of theft after the company sold shoes resembling Yeezys under other names. The design rights to Yeezys are owned by Adidas, not West; regardless, West began to disparage Adidas's CEO and supervisory board on social media and threatened to boycott the brand along with other influential celebrity friends of his like Diddy and Swizz Beatz. He also showed Adidas executives a pornographic film about a woman who was cheated on as a way of expressing his feelings of betrayal with the brand. At the Yeezy Paris fashion show in October 2022, a controversial photo was taken that featured West and conservative commentator Candace Owens wearing shirts that said “White Lives Matter." The photo sparked intense public backlash, with critics calling West racially insensitive. West doubled down by berating said critics and continuing to make other inflammatory statements like calling the Black Lives Matter movement "a scam" and saying he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people.” In mid-October, West appeared on the podcast Drink Champs. During his interview, he promoted conspiracy theories about Jewish people in power and stated, “I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?” Nine days later, on October 25, Adidas dropped the partnership. The company acknowledged the split by saying, "Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech. Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."

Immediately after ending the partnership, Adidas pulled Yeezy products from retailers and announced it expected to lose $247 million in revenue for the remainder of the year. Adidas later stated that losses in 2023 could reach $750 million if the company decided to destroy unsold Yeezy inventory. However, Adidas CFO Harm Ohlmeyer stated that it was possible Adidas would continue to release Yeezy designs throughout 2023, as the company still owned the rights to the designs. After the partnership was terminated, West and Adidas entered arbitration as required under their contract. Adidas accused West of reducing their multibillion-dollar collaboration to “economic rubble” with his comments, while West said Adidas had devalued Yeezys and that the company’s “greed and opportunism have no bounds." It was agreed that Adidas would release the remaining inventory of Yeezys beginning in May 2023, with the proceeds being split between Adidas, various social justice organizations including the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change and the Anti-Defamation League, and West, who is still entitled to royalties. His share is expected to be 15 percent of the profits. Adidas stated that selling the remaining inventory was preferred over destroying or donating it. Yeezy shoe sales totaled about $437 million from May to June 2023. Adidas later revised its earlier projected operating loss of more than $700 million to about $100 million. Adidas dropped a second round of Yeezy releases in August 2023. Its third launch, scheduled for November 2023, was canceled in late October 2023.

In October 2023 a report by The New York Times revealed a long history of antisemitic incidents and remarks made by West since the beginning of the Adidas collaboration in 2013. There were also reports he had engaged in sexually offensive behavior, including forcing Adidas executives to watch pornography during a meeting "to spark creativity," and verbal abuse towards Adidas employees. Adidas was found to have willfully dismissed these incidents as well as many others that occurred over the years. Instead Adidas frequently tried to appease West by increasing the production of Yeezys and giving into his various business demands, rather than refuse him in the face of his erratic behavior. Former Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted once stated, "We're not signing up to his statements, we're signing up to what he brings to the brand and the products he's bringing out."

On January 31, 2024, Adidas announced it planned to sell its remaining Yeezy inventory throughout 2024 "at least at cost."