Converse All Star Hi - Optical White At age 47, Marquis Mills Converse, who was previously a respected manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in Malden, Massachusetts in February 1908. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, providing winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910, Converse was producing shoes daily, but it was not until 1915 that the company began manufacturing athletic shoes for tennis. The company's main turning point came in 1917 when the Converse All-Star basketball shoe was introduced. Then in 1921, a basketball player named Charles H. "Chuck" Taylor walked into Converse complaining of sore feet. Converse gave him a job: he worked as a salesman and ambassador, promoting the shoes around the United States, and in 1932 Taylor’s signature was added to the All Star patch on the classic, high-topped sneakers. The Chuck Taylor All Star high top is the most iconic sneaker in the world, recognized for its unmistakable silhouette, star-centered ankle patch and cultural authenticity. And like the best paradigms, it only gets better with time. For generations, these classic colors and quality vulcanized rubber sole have defined an icon. Born on the court but adopted by rebels, rockers, rappers, artists, dreamers, thinkers and originals, the Chuck Taylor All Star continues to celebrate personal style and individual self-expression.