Marquis Mills Converse

1908–1940: Early years

Forty-seven-year-old Marquis Mills Converse, a manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in February 1908, in Malden, Massachusetts. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, and its early inventory included winterized rubber-soled footwear, galoshes, tennis shoes, and some non-footwear items like automobile tires. In the summer of 1916, the Converse basketball line was established; by 1917 the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced and quickly became successful during World War I and the Spanish flu.

In 1922, basketball player Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet, and Converse gave him a job as a salesman and ambassador. He promoted the shoes around the U.S., and in 1932, Taylor's signature was added to the All-Star patch on the high-top sneakers. He continued this work until shortly before his death in 1969. Although sales for the All-Star rose initially, the company entered bankruptcy in 1929. The Stone family purchased Converse in 1939.

Former college teams

Marquette Golden Eagles – switched to Jordan Brand following most famous alum, Dwyane Wade

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers – shoes only

The brand released a special collection named "1Hund (RED)", allocating 15 percent of the profits to HIV/AIDS prevention programs. As part of the (RED) campaign, 100 artists from around the world designed products for the collection. In February 2010, professional skateboarder Anthony Pappalardo released a (RED) edition of his signature skate shoe. Pappalardo stated:

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.

In 2012, Converse was listed as a partner in the (RED) campaign alongside other companies like Nike, Inc., Girl, and Bugaboo. The campaign's mission is to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child by 2015, operating under the slogan "Fighting For An AIDS Free Generation".

In the winter of 2018, Converse collaborated with several Los Angeles figures on a collection focused on local culture. participants selected for the project included Vince Staples, Dr. Woo, Rocket, BornXRaised, and Clot.

August/September 2026 ad campaign controversy

On August 27, 2026, the Chuck 70 X was released worldwide. Its ad featured South Korean singer Karina standing in a Converse star while wearing a white skirt and holding a pair of black Chuck 70 X shoes in her left hand. The lighting in the image lands on the skirt in a manner that was perceived by some viewers on social media as depicting a Klan hood, and they claimed the shoes' position gave the appearance of "two dangling legs". Converse issued an apology, pulling the ad from social media, as well as all its websites except the one in the Philippines, on September 18.

A second ad for a collaborative product developed with the Danish brand Palmes depicted a man on a ladder holding a pair of shoes hanging from a tree branch. It promoted the Jack Purcell PDM sneaker released in September 2026, and was posted to Converse's Malaysia Instagram account. One Threads account, juxtaposing the images side by side, claimed that they evoked the Billie Holiday song "Strange Fruit".

Starting in July 2008, Converse sent around 180 cease-and-desist letters to over 30 companies that they claimed were violating the Chuck Taylor All-Stars trademark and selling so-called look-alike sneakers. In October 2014, Converse filed a lawsuit against 30 companies for allegedly infringing on its generic sneaker style's bumper toe, striped midsole, and toe cap. The brand argued that companies were violating an alleged common-law trademark by importing sneakers with similar elements. Several companies settled with Converse and they were dropped from the list.

In November 2015, Charles Bullock, chief administrative judge at the International Trade Commission, preliminarily ruled that several brands Converse filed against were violating Converse's outsole design trademarks, i.e. the pattern on the bottom of the sole of the shoe. The soles of the shoes are designed to allow players to jump or move in all directions. The diamond pattern makes this possible. Judge Bullock further ruled that while Skechers "Twinkle Toes" brands did share similarities to Converse, "Twinkle Toes" were different enough and marketed in a way for it not to be mistaken for Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Judge Bullock also ruled that most of the shoes sold by Highline United under the Ash brand did not infringe and that Converse did not have a valid common law mark for its midsole.

On June 23, 2016, the anniversary of the death of Chuck Taylor, the International Trade Commission ruled that Converse's alleged trade dress for the midsole design of a combined toe cap, toe bumper, and stripe was not entitled to trademark protection under the common law and found invalid Converse's federal trademark registration. The case was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled that the ITC had used the wrong test and remanded the case. On remand, the ITC ruled that Converse's trade dress was protectable but not infringed.