More than just basketball shoes, Converse is the story of legends and innovators brought together by love of sport. Founded by Marquis Converse in 1908 to produce winterized footwear for men, women and children, the company boasts nearly a century of innovation and footwear history. Built on the history and legacy of the Converse All Star, the basketball shoe collection continues to innovate while still remaining true to its roots. Chuck Taylor All-Stars are canvas and rubber shoes produced by Converse. They were first produced in 1917 as the "All-Star", Converse's attempt to capture the basketball shoe market. They were not particularly popular until basketball player Chuck Taylor adopted them as his preferred shoe. He was so impressed with the design that he became the shoe's leading salesman. After proposing a few changes to the shoe, the shoe got its current name and Chuck Taylor's signature on its ankle patch.

Charles "Chuck" Taylor has one of the most famous names in basketball history. Taylor's name adorns the Converse basketball shoe, the most successful selling basketball shoe in history. Since its inception in 1931, more than 600 million pair have been sold. Taylor, who walked into Converse Chicago sales office in the summer of 1921 complaining of sore feet, persuaded Converse executives to create a shoe especially for basketball. In 1932, Converse added Taylor's signature to its trademark five-pronged star shoe in 1932, and sent its new "Basketball Ambassador" on the road to promote the sneaker. Initially, "Chucks" were only available in high or low canvas in either black or white, and sold only in sporting goods stores. The Chuck Taylor "All-Star" became the official basketball shoe of Olympic competition from 1936 until 1968. Consumers demanded more variety from the shoe - particularly with respect to colors in order to match basketball teams - so colored and patterned shoelaces became popular to complement the two colors, black and white, available before 1966. Afterwards, more colors and styles became available. Low-top or "Oxford", high-top, and later knee-high, versions were produced. More materials were offered for the construction, including leather, suede, vinyl, denim, and hemp. Some versions of the shoe were offered without laces, held up instead by elastic. These new versions of the shoe were also co-designed by Chuck Taylor, just before his death in 1969.

The Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star is the most successful shoe in history, and has enjoyed recent popularity thanks to a resurgence of old school trends. They no longer seem to be worn by their original target market of basketball players (at least not in the professional sphere) who have moved on to more modern shoes, but instead they are now marketed to the mainstream teenager. Some are so enthusiastic about the sneakers that they have a vast, ever-growing collection. They are also quite influential in pop-culture; Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars have been popular for decades in the American punk and indie rock scenes, and Hollywood has popularized Chucks in countless motion pictures.

When Converse was bought by Nike and operations were moved from the United States to overseas, the design saw a few alterations. The fabric is no longer 2-ply cotton canvas but 1-ply "textile" and many wearers have noticed different patterns of wear.

Wearers of All-Stars admire the individuality of the distinctive colors, design, and sole of the shoe. They are available in several core colors, seasonal colors, and a variety of print styles. Fans of punk rock have adopted the shoe as a fashion trend since the late-1970s. All-Stars became popular again in the 90's grunge culture. There has been a recent re-adoption of them in modern hip hop culture. The Guinness Book of World Records states that as of August 23, 2006, the world's largest collection of Converse Shoes is held by Joshua Mueller of Lakewood, WA (USA) consisting of 403 unique pairs. Converse All-Stars make up the bulk of the collection. Has now been added to Ripley's Believe it or Not. As of July 12th, 2007 this number has ascended to 525 pairs.