Converse

How this year’s big tournament will play out is anyone’s guess. But 30 years ago, the University of Kentucky Wildcats owned the court.     Entitled “The Untouchables,” the talent-loaded basketball team dominated every round, ultimately cementing their winning legacy by claiming a sixth national championship. They did it all in the Converse CONS BLUE “Kentucky Denim,” an instantly iconic sneaker that paired perfectly with the squad's “denim” uniforms and achieved legendary status alongside its wearers.   Just as the Wildcat legacy lives on, so does the once-performance, now-retro lifestyle shoe (and matching apparel) via the Converse CONS BLUE “Kentucky Denim” collection. #ConverseBasketball

There’s a new record holder in the arena. Last night on his home court in OKC, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpassed Wilt Chamberlain’s 63-year-old record of scoring 20+ points in 126 consecutive games, hitting 127 in a new shade of his signature shoes, no less. The SHAI 001: BLUSH dropped just hours before the history-making moment.    And SGA’s showing no signs of slowing down. Get ready for more magic as he leads his team into the playoffs and shapes the next chapter of Converse Basketball along the way.      This is just the beginning …    #ConverseBasketball #SGA #SHAI 

From vision to validation. As 2026 gains momentum, we’re thrilled to share that the SHAI 001 has received the Nice Kicks 2025 “Basketball Sneaker of the Year” stamp. Huge congrats to our MVP and the Converse crew who helped bring the signature shoe to life. Expect more from this dream team soon.

The most inspiring way to end the year begins with creation. For the past 10 years, Lovejoy Market at Converse's Boston Headquarters has provided a colorful end to the calendar year. The annual event convenes Converse teammates — creators ranging from jewelers and handbag designers to illustrators and perfumers — to share their imaginative expressions with their colleagues, punctuating both the season and the unharnessed creativity that continues to fuel Converse today. This year, the market went global. Our Western Europe Headquarters in Hilversum hosted its own spin on the event, with Shanghai slated to hold the next event in 2026 — just one of the many debuts we have in store for the new year.

At this year’s Massachusetts Conference for Women, we embraced the theme of moving forward with purpose and balance.   Our attendees were proudly sponsored by The Women of Converse Network for the eighth consecutive year, and for the first time ever, colleagues from Nike and Jordan Brand also attended, bringing over 60 members of Nike, Inc. together for a day focused on elevating issues that matter most to women, including business and entrepreneurship, personal finance, health, work-life balance, and more. As one Converse colleague reflected: “This year’s conference was a powerful reminder that mindset matters. When life feels overwhelming, reframe it with gratitude.” This theme carried through the day, which wrapped with an unfiltered end-of-day celebration and shared sense of connection to an incredible culture of collaborative women, both within and beyond NIKE, Inc. #Converse #WomenofConverse  #MassachusettsConferenceforWomen 

What does it take to bring Camp Flog Gnaw to life? Fifty LA high-school students just found out.   As part of the third-annual Camp Flog Gnaw (CFG) Community Day, the local teenagers received a hands-on introduction to the live-entertainment industry that dropped them directly into the heart of the music festival.   Alongside AEG and Goldenvoice, we invited the youth to Dodger Stadium to learn about the roles and collaboration required to bring CFG to life. And things got real.   Along with participating in an immersive group activity that mirrored the decision-making, creativity, and strategy necessary to build a major festival, the students had the opportunity to dialogue with employee volunteers from each company about their jobs and industries.   Students also got a glimpse of the festival’s glamor when Converse CONS skate team rider Sage Elsesser — also known as the rapper Navy Blue and a featured performer at CFG this year — showed up to share his personal journey. From carving his own lane and overcoming early doubts to staying grounded in a fast-moving creative industry, he opened an honest dialogue about expression, identity, and breaking into entertainment that put a fine point on a meaningful day.   As one youth participant put it, “This experience meant the world to me.”   Thank you to all the incredible participants, volunteers, and organizers who made it happen.

Welcome to the Converse family, Nickeil Alexander-Walker.     The Atlanta Hawks guard is officially part of the Converse Basketball line-up, alongside fellow NBA athletes who also sit at the intersection of performance and self-expression: Payton Pritchard, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Nickeil’s own cousin, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.      It’s not the first time the cousins have teamed up, as they currently compete together on the Canada Basketball Senior Men’s National Team. Nickeil will also lace up the SHAI 001 during the 2025-26 NBA season, affirming their connection as teammates in style as well as sport.       Any way you look at it, this is a legacy in the making. 

For Converse archive manager Samuel Smallidge, the past holds the keys to the future.  Born in our founder Marquis Mills Converse's hometown, Sam has known about Converse for essentially his whole life — and he’s spent the past 15 years of it obsessively studying our company’s legacy, tracking down elusive relics and one-of-a-kind designs. The results, as this recent profile highlights, cement Sam’s own place in Converse history: https://bit.ly/48316Ek

Without Marquis Converse, we wouldn’t be here.     Happy Birthday to the man who started it all back in 1908, with humble rubber galoshes and a big dream to evolve the footwear market.      This mission has served as our north star for over a century. To learn more about Marquis and how his words continue to guide us today, and every day, check out this deep dive into our history: bit.ly/47ES5B6

In the words of our CEO & President Aaron Cain: Welcome to the new era of Converse Basketball.