The original Converse company was set up in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse, who called his new venture the Converse Rubber Shoe company. The company’s first several years were profitable enough to keep the brand running, but it was the transition to producing basketball sneakers in 1917 that really shifted Converse from a simple rubber shoe to the cultural icon it is today. The kicks were given the name “Converse All Stars” as a nod to their athletic design.
When basketball Hall of Fame alum Chuck Taylor lent his name and signature to the trainers in 1921, they became the basketball shoe. Basketball’s inclusion in the 1936 Olympics only meant more publicity for the now-popular Converse All Stars, made all the more compelling by American’s win against Canada.