Converse (The Shoe Company) Used To Make Tires, Too

Did you know that Converse used to make shoes for your car, too? The company behind the star-logoed lace-ups also made tires at one point in its life. There have been several crossovers between the fashion and automotive industries that you may be familiar with, like the 2012 Gucci edition Fiat 500 or Ferrari's line of high-fashion clothing, but Converse's ties to the car world predate most.

When it was founded in 1908, Converse (known originally as the Converse Rubber Company) specialized in a variety of products with high rubber content, including rubber rain and hunting boots, as well as car tires and other goods. Other rubber manufacturers dipped their toes in both industries during that era also, including Converse competitors Goodyear and Goodrich, but they've since found their respective niches — in fact, Goodrich sold its shoe designs to Converse before exiting the sneaker business, and Converse's abandonment of the tire industry is well-evidenced by the fact that they went all in on basketball shoe production in the '20s.

The trend for companies specializing in rubber production in the early 20th century seems to be a jack-of-all-trades approach. Converse, like many of its competitors, produced a wide range of rubber products, including multiple forms of rubber footwear, but also tires –- until it became master of one particular product. In 1917, Converse released the product it's most known for in today's economy — the rubber-soled, canvas high-top All Star Converse designed specifically for basketball. At the time, it was a simple move to keep its employees working during the summer because its other products were manufactured from fall through spring. But after Converse hired former basketball star Chuck Taylor to market the sneakers in 1921, the shoes exploded in popularity, and Converse began to dominate the athletic shoe scene. As of today, over 550 million pairs of Chucks have been produced.

But what happened to the tires? Well, given that Converse and its many competitors were producing a smorgasbord of rubber products in the pre-digital age, the exact destination(s) of its tires appears to have been poorly documented. It seems that no one really knows exactly what cars received Converse's tires originally or if they're still producing them today — a quick Google search of "Does Converse still make tires?" reveals a company named Converse Tire, but its website isn't currently operational(which could indicate that the business isn't either) and its affiliation with Converse as the shoemaker we know today is unclear. At any rate, the timely success of its basketball shoe in a competitive rubber industry seems like as good a reason as any to specialize and forgo car shoe production.