Converse, (pronounced k?n'v?rs), is an American shoe company which has been making shoes since the early 20th century. Currently, Converse also produces a wide range of occupational safety shoes that resemble their regular athletic shoes. Converse is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike.
1908–1941: The Early Days and Chuck Taylor
In his late 30's, Marquis M. Converse, who was previously a respected manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company (also known as the Boston Rubber Shoe Company) in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, providing winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910, Converse was producing 4,000 shoes daily, but it wasn't 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. This was a real innovation at the time, considering the sport was only 25 years old. 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 1923 after publishing a retrospective on the first 60 years of basketball and teaching his first basketball clinic at North Carolina State University, his signature was added to the All Star patch. He tirelessly continued this work until shortly before his death in 1969. Converse also customized shoes for the New York Renaissance (the "Rens"), basketball's first all African American pro basketball team.
1941–Present: War, Bankruptcy, and New Management
When America entered World War II in 1941, Converse shifted production to manufacturing footwear, apparel, boots, parkas, rubber protective suits, and ponchos for pilots and troops. Widely popular during the 1950s and 1960s, Converse lost much of its apparent near-monopoly from the 1970s onward, with the surge of new competitors such as Nike, Adidas and Reebok who introduced radical new designs to the market. Converse found themselves no longer the official shoe of the National Basketball Association, a title they had enjoyed for many, many years. This loss of market share, combined with poor business decisions forced Converse to file for bankruptcy on January 22, 2001. When the company subsequently changed hands that year, the last factory in the United States was closed. Thereafter, manufacturing for the American market was no longer performed in the United States, but instead in a number of Asian countries, including China, Indonesia and Vietnam.
On July 9, 2003, the company accepted a $305 million purchase offer from rival Nike.
匡威（Converse）是一家创立于20世纪早期的美国运动鞋公司的品牌，匡威公司2005年7月被耐克(Nike)公司收购。
1908年 Marquis Mills Converse在美国马萨诸塞州创建了一家专门生产运动鞋的公司，并以自己的姓氏Converse（匡威）命名。世界上第一双篮球鞋由Converse制作。
1917年 第一双Converse All Star鞋诞生，凭着产品本身的优异特性，成为历史上最著名的运动鞋之一。自其问世至今，All Star已成为全世界家喻户晓的帆布鞋代名词，被誉为帆布鞋中的“劳斯莱斯”，同美国历史悠久的品牌如麦当劳快餐、可口可乐饮料、福特汽车、Levi's牛仔裤一样，成为美国文化精神的象征。
1917年 一位叫Chuck Taylor的年轻篮球运动员加入了职篮联盟，选择Converse All Star的运动鞋。由于他不断地推荐Converse All Star给各大学、高中篮球队，所以自1921年，Chuck Taylor便与Converse（匡威）签约，成为其业务代表的一员，展开了Converse（匡威）和Chuck Taylor传奇性合作的一页。
1923年 Chuck Taylor的签名被放在运动鞋的脚踝处，成为产品的特色之一，Converse All Star成为篮球鞋的代名词。
1936年 Chuck Taylor的签名成为Converse（匡威）商标的一部分，与Converse（匡威）密不可分，并且展开了人们在运动场合穿运动鞋的概念。
1936年 Converse All Star鞋成为美国奥运篮球代表队的指定专用鞋。
1941年 第二次世界大战期间Converse（匡威）也投入了美国军需品的生产行列，凭着Converse（匡威）的专业技术，生产了一系列特殊用途的靴子、头套、护脚等等。
1966年 Converse All Star第一次推出彩色篮球鞋，打破了近六十年单一白色的色彩策略。
1982年 Converse（匡威）在NASDAQ(纳斯达克)股票市场挂牌，成为上市公司。
1985年 Converse All Star鞋风靡日本，创造极佳业绩。
1991年 Converse（匡威）成为NBA指定比赛用鞋。
1996年 Converse All Star全球销售超过7亿双。
2002年 Converse（匡威）在中国市场份额位居国际运动品牌前三名。
2004年 Converse（匡威）运动鞋、休闲鞋及服装配件的销售网络已遍布全球90多个国家和地区，运动用品专卖店和百货公司专柜超过9000家。