Converse's All-Star Image

Say Converse sneakers to Baby Boomers or Generation X, Y, and Z-ers and the reaction will likely be a nod of approval. The brand, founded by Marquis M. Converse exactly a century ago, has endured—with many ups and downs—as a favorite of athletes, as well as creative types, by playing up its upstart image.

Converse's first model was a rubber-soled shoe, followed in 1917 by the innovative lightweight All-Star basketball shoe with a rubber outsole, durable toe cap, and ankle patch that helped stabilize the foot. Endorsed in the '30s by basketball star Charles H. Taylor (known as Chuck) in an early form of sponsorship, the All-Star was a sleeper hit that eventually became the official NBA shoe—as well an emblem of cool adopted by artists and musicians that extended into the grunge and punk-rock eras.