One hundred years after Marquis Mills Converse started the Converse Rubber Shoe Co., the brand is more than a basketball accessory. It's the darling of consumers who don't want seem like consumers.

Origins of an All Star Founded in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse in Malden, Massachusetts, the Converse Rubber Company’s story is one of constant refinement.

Now owned by Nike Inc., North Andover-based Converse was founded by Marquis Mills Converse as the Converse Rubber Shoe Co. in Malden in 1908.

Who would have imagined perhaps the best trick in footwear history when Marquis Mills Converse started making simple, rubber-soled work shoes at a factory outside Boston in 1908?

Getty Images Who founded Converse and when did the company launch? Converse was founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts.

ORIGINS The original Converse company was set up in Malden, Massachusetts in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse, who called his new venture the Converse Rubber Shoe company.

Founded in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse in Malden, Massachusetts, the Converse Rubber Shoe Company started out as a specialist in winterised rubber-soled shoes and boots.

Introduced in Massachusetts in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse as a soccer and netball shoe, the company designed the precursor to the modern All-Star sneaker in 1917, marketed under the name ...

Happy Birthday! The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star sneaker is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. The company founded in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse in Malden, Mass., has a grand history ...

Wilmington's own Michael Jordan? Magic Johnson? Perhaps, it was Marquis Mills. In 1917, Marquis Mills Converse founded the first performance basketball sneaker, the Converse All Star.

Founded in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse in Malden, Massachusetts, the Converse Rubber Shoe Company started out as a specialist in winterised rubber-soled shoes and boots. Within a few years, the ...