Converse first started making shoes over 100 years ago. You would think that the company would have had some low points during their century-long career but that hasn’t been the case at all. This name brand has always been associated with shoes that are hip, stylish, comfortable and affordable. From the very first winterized rubber soled shoes they made through the most popular years when Converse high tops were worn by players across many different sports, this is a brand that has never failed to stay popular with the mainstream shoe buyer. Look around the busy downtown district of any major city today and you’ll likely see Converse sneakers on people of all different ages and backgrounds.

The first Converse shoes were created in 1908 as a mainstream rubber soled show intended for men, women and children of all ages. It wasn’t too long before the company began to be associated with the sports scene though. By 1915, Converse was making shoes for use by both amateur and professional tennis players. By the end of the company’s first decade of existence, the Converse All-Star basketball sneaker had been invented. People are still wearing Converse All-Stars today, both on and off the court. It’s tough to believe that with all of the amazing sports shoes that have been created in recent years, one of the most popular brands remains one that was first created in the early twentieth century. It’s tough to believe but it’s true.

Converse is best-known for its athletic shoes but there’s more to the Converse brand than just this. The brand is particularly loved by Americans because it’s considered to be an all-American company. This image was solidified back in the 1940’s during World War II. At this time, Converse started manufacturing shoes for the troops and pilots that were participating in the war effort. They also manufactured other clothing for these important American soldiers. Wearing Converse sneakers was no longer something that was simply hip to do; it was something that showed that you believed in the American dream. Although the company’s focus shifted back to athletes and mainstream consumers after the war was over, the image of the Converse shoe as an American shoe has remained solid in people’s minds. This is one of the many reasons that the popularity of the shoe has never faded over the years.

Although Converse sneakers have remained popular throughout the decades, there was an interesting peak in the popularity of these shoes at the end of the twentieth century. From approximately the 1970’s through the 1990’s, Converse high tops began to decline in popularity among the professional basketball players and other athletes who had helped to make these shoes so popular. Although a few special editions of the shoes were popular with athletes, the sports world started to be overtaken with the bigger names that are associated with sports footwear today. It would have been easy for Converse to have slipped out of the public eye altogether. However, it didn’t. Mainstream consumers wanted to save the Converse shoe despite its declining popularity with athletes. This was when we started to see Converse sneakers worn regularly by people from all different walks of life in an almost silent movement to ensure that this important American shoe brand didn’t disappear.

The business of Converse has changed over the years. Management changed several times over the decades. Despite all of these changes, Converse sneakers have stayed popular with people from all walks of life. Several NBA basketball players continue to wear the brand on the court. Teenagers wear these shoes to school. Women pair them with dresses and men pair them with business suits in an unusual twist on casual business wear fashion. Things may have changed in some ways for Converse over the years but these sneakers have never failed to stay popular despite a century of style changes.