CONVERSE
CELEBRATES A CENTURY OF ORIGINALITY AND POP ICON STATUS AS THE
FIRST IN SPORTS AND FIRST IN MUSIC
From Basketball Courts to Garage Bands to
Art Studios, Converse Commemorates 100 Years of Being
Worn by True Originals
North Andover, MASS (February 7, 2008) – In
2008, Converse Inc. will commemorate its centennial year as one
of the world’s most coveted, iconic brands. From the invention
of the All Star® shoe in 1917 to the African-American barnstorming
teams of the 1920s and 1930s, to the birth of the NBA and rock ‘n’ roll
to today’s pop culture, so many of those who have disrupted
the status quo and changed history have worn Converse. The Converse
centennial and stories of the true originals who’ve worn
the brand, will be told through product, advertising, retail displays
and online components throughout the year.
“Converse is the footwear company that was first in sports
and first in rock ‘n’ roll, and we will continue to
be the brand that inspires originality for the next 100 years,” said
Jack Boys, Converse CEO. “Converse has gained tremendous
momentum with our recent resurgence in performance basketball.
We evolved our footwear collaboration with John Varvatos, one of
the world’s most renowned fashion designers, to launch Converse’s
men’s and women’s premium apparel business called ‘Converse
by John Varvatos’ in Fall 2006. And this year, we launched
our long-term partnership with (PRODUCT) RED™ to help assist
in the global emergency and epidemic of AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
in Africa. We are extremely proud of our heritage and excited about
the momentum we have as we embark on our next 100 years.”
The year will be a celebration of the people who have made Converse
the cultural icon it is today by incorporating original designs,
product collaborations and re-issues of classic shoes into the
Converse Century footwear collection. The collection, which will
roll out throughout 2008, includes new variations on timeless classics
and all-new product that blends modern design with Converse originality.
The sports-inspired collections range from the Black Fives®,
the first professional African-American basketball teams circa
1920s, to tennis originals Converse pioneered in the 1970s and
1980s, to the basketball stars of today. Converse will bring back
the original 1917 All Star shoe, the Pro Leather shoe that graced
many of the stars of 1970s pro basketball and the Weapon, which
ruled basketball courts in the 1980s. In an exclusive three-pack
series, called the “What If” packs, Converse will tell
the stories of early players of the Harlem Renaissance, basketball
legends of the 1970s and current NBA star Dwyane Wade. The “What
If” packs contain a signature shoe for each player if they
had played on the same team in the same basketball era. Each includes
the All Star Revolution, the Converse 0100, and the Wade 3 shoes.
To coincide with Converse’s centennial the brand will also
launch Converse 1HUND(RED) Artists, a year-long global curation
project designed to celebrate and preserve culture to further support
Converse’s long-term partnership with (PRODUCT) RED™. Enlisting
artists across the world, Converse collaborated with artists from
a wide-range of disciplines and levels of notoriety from fine artists
to art students, rock stars to indie bands, and fashion designers
to graphic artists. One of culture’s great blank canvases,
generations of artists have been scribbling on the Chuck Taylor
All Star shoe for decades and Converse 1HUND(RED) Artists gives
artists the opportunity to use their creative power to design a
variety of Converse (PRODUCT) RED footwear with the goal of celebrating
culture and supporting The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria.
Converse Century is also told through specific footwear designs
marking the pivotal points in music history with early Rhythm and
Blues circa 1930s, Psychedelic Folk and the rise of Funk circa
1960s and 1970s on up to 1980s-inspired punk.
Cultural stories from the Converse history books will also be unveiled
to showcase the brand’s key role in culture throughout the
decades. These stories include the Handsketched Flower Print collection
circa 1940s, which references patterns and colors of the decade.
Buffalo Check Plaid and Ombre Plaid recalls the popular look throughout
the 1950s, while the Scout collection marks the brand’s little
known involvement in the popular youth organizations.
The Converse Century footwear collection will be available nationwide
at specialty retailers, department stores and online at www.converse.com throughout
2008.
Converse Inc., based in N. Andover, Massachusetts, is a wholly
owned subsidiary of Nike, Inc. Established in 1908, the Converse
brand has built a reputation as “America’s Original
Sports Company”™ and has been associated with a rich
heritage of legendary shoes such as the Chuck Taylor® All Star® shoe,
the Jack Purcell® shoe and the One Star® shoe. Today, Converse
offers a diverse portfolio including premium lifestyle men's and
women's footwear and apparel. Converse product is sold globally
by retailers in over 160 countries and through 25 company-owned
retail locations in the U.S. For more information, visit Converse
on the web at www.converse.com.
# # #
Press Contacts:
Molly Carter
Converse
(312) 558-3153
molly.carter@converse.com
Jason Thome
Converse
(646) 563-7488
jason.thome@converse.com |
