CONVERSE: the recipe for a perfect sneaker

Marquis M. Converse is a US company that has been producing footwear since the early twentieth century. Since then, the brand has been committed to creating new great classics of streetwear, representing the frank and creative street culture, through its products reinterpreted in a pop and mainstream key. An example is the women's line where sneakers are the protagonists in every shape and colour. An evergreen immune to the passage of time which, also as regards the collection dedicated to men, offers infinite variations, just think of the "Hike" model made up of a double reinforced sole which makes it perfect for facing any type of challenge. Essential elements, the high comfort and excellent fit, of which Converse has become synonymous.

As stated by the company itself, the goal of each collection from the outset has been to "break the barriers of tomorrow". In fact, wearing Converse products means daring to live a culture inspired by authentic street style, simply by expressing one's personality. Enter the legend at the feet of 70s basketball stars such as Chuck Taylor, the Converse designer sneaker has always been synonymous with thinking outside the box.

The US company was founded by Marquis M. Converse in 1908 under the name "Converse Rubberr Shoes Company". Initially, the company produced galoshes and other models of rubber footwear for women, men and children. Subsequently, in order to increase the brand's reputation, the founder decided to produce shoes suitable for basketball, a sport that was beginning to enjoy great success at the time. That was the real and drastic success of the brand that led it in a short time to obtain global notoriety. In addition to the world of sport in the sixties, seventies and eighties, Converse sneakers were also fashionable in the world of music, in fact many musicians and singers of rock bands wore them, thus amplifying their diffusion even among the mass public. The winning strategy of Converse's music marketing lies precisely in having seen their core consumers, the musicians, not only as buyers but as the media themselves. Despite the success, the competition is fierce and in 2001 the Converse Ruberr Shoe Company is on the verge of bankruptcy. To "save" this colossus, so to speak, is Nike which incorporates the brand by purchasing it for the sum of 305 million dollars. It is estimated that almost 800 million Converse have been sold worldwide in countless models: with eye-catching patterns, studs, fur, double shaft, or classic in black or white version, earning this iconic shoe the definition of cult without time.