The Most Successful Shoe Model In The World

  Marquis Mills Converse founded the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts. In 1917 the company designed the forerunner of the modern All-Star shoe that is marketed under the name of "Non-Skids." The shoe was composed of a rubber sole and canvas upper and was designed for basketball players. In 1921, Charles "Chuck" Taylor, an American semi-professional basketball player, joined Converse as a salesman. Within a year of Taylor's arrival, the company had adopted his ideas for improvements to the shoe's design to enhance its flexibility and ankle support. The restyled shoe also incorporated a distinctive All-Star logo on the circular patch that protected the ankle. After Taylor's signature was added to the ankle patch as his endorsement, they became known as Chuck Taylor All-Stars, the first celebrity-endorsed athletic shoe