Converse celebrate their hundredth birthday

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Converse are often viewed as the counter-culture of sports trainers, their simplistic approach to shoes has hardly ever changed. Therefore it may come as no surprise that the company is celebrating it's one hundredth birthday.

The company began with humble beginning, based just outside of Boston, USA in 1908. The founder of the company was one Marquis Mills Converse. The company has owed it's success to a combination of it's appeal as a basketball shoe, and also to the 'rebel' within American culture (James Dean was a converse wearer).

During the 1970's and 1980's it was the official shoe of the American NBA basketball association. Going as far back as the 1930's it was always a brand with a rich history of connection to basketball.

By the 1990's Nike introduced the Air Jordon, Reebok's it's pump action tongues, and Converse were faced with total annihilation. Converse had always tried to innovate, their prototype department being responsible for the first pair of Chuck Taylor's. But compared to the big budget of Nike and Reebok, the company couldn't compete. The main problem with the original All Star's was a distinct lack of arch and heel support.

Thankfully they started to develop some high tech shoes by the end of the 1990's. They may not be the all conquering shoe of the court, but they are no longer confined to the history books.

The 'Converse All Star Springfield' was a big success and the first modern Converse high top to see the return of the Chuck Taylor patch. Innovations like the 'React Juice' technology for cushioning promise to see Cons around on the court for many more years.

However, Converse have needed to balance the development of modern high tops. That's because the brand has most commonly been worn by the anti-heroes of American culture, such as Kurt Cobain.

To that segment of the companies fan base the idea of 'React Juice' heel absorption was a big turn off. It didn't help in 2002, when Nike, the bastions of the mainstream bought the company.

It probably came as no surprise to die hard fans to see a clean cut Will Smith advertising the brand in I-robot. Would the company be wise to avoid a repeat?, they obviously acknowledge their outsider influence, just now they are putting the finishing touches to a 'Cobain' shoe.