Converse

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.

When it comes to the rise of a champion, there’s always more to the story than the athlete — there are also the people who help shape the journey.   For the launch of the SHAI 001 ‘FAMILY’ colorways, honoring Shai’s roots, we celebrated Shai’s role in the Converse family with a themed bash at our Boston Headquarters.   Aaron Cain kicked off the festivities while Steven Keating provided some behind-the-scenes insight into the symbolic color palette. Then employees got in on the game, testing their own (pop-a-shot) skills and posing with a full-size Shai cutout, which pictured the athlete in multihyphenate mode as NBA Champion, NBA MVP, and Creative Director of Converse Basketball. #Converse #ConverseBasketBall #GoDoThat #SGA

At Converse, we champion out-of-the-box creativity. Nike, Inc.’s presence at this year’s Black Footwear Forum confirmed the commitment, starting with “In Her Shoes: Career Pathways for Women in the Footwear Industry.” Moderated by PLC Detroit president Dr. D'Wayne Edwards, the main stage session featured our own Brandis Russell, who spoke to her inspiring career progression, including challenges and wins, alongside Domonique Debnam, and Kizmet Mills. Meanwhile, Adrian Stelly and Brodrick Foster joined Dr. Edwards to discuss the making of the SHAI 001 and the detailed mind of its namesake, going deep into the design’s conception and complex production. They also contextualized the signature shoe within Converse’s creator-first philosophy, with Stelly confirming, “The special thing about [Shai] and our brand: We’re for creators. You think about the work we’ve done with Tyler, the Creator, you think about the work we’ve done with Alexis Sablone, [Shai] fit into that space of being the architect and not just an endorsee.”

Designed by SGA. Made for all creators.   After months of anticipation, the SHAI 001 hit shelves on Sept. 4. Ahead of its launch, we invited media, creators, and employees to Nike NYHQ to hit the hardwood and get a first feel for the shoe. Some attendees put the SHAI 001 to the test through drills tailored for pace-shifting, playmaking guards like Shai. Others curated looks inspired by his signature style. Overall, the event gave creators and media the opportunity to experience firsthand the on and off-court duality of the SHAI 001. #ConverseBasketBall #GoDoThat #SGA

Like its namesake, the SHAI 001 goes big. Almost as soon as the signature shoe arrived on shelves yesterday, it sold out. But as always, Shai kept a little something more in his back pocket … which he revealed last night on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In case you missed it: Three new SHAI 001 colorways — first worn by the MVP in the 2025 NBA Playoffs — are slated to drop October 2. Inspired by his family members, each goes deep on Shai’s story, reflecting the relationships that shape his mindset, style, and approach to the game — from the ruthless instinct of CHARM BLACK to the quiet strength of HAIL CLAY to the cool, stoic energy of MASI BLUE.

There are players and there are legends. And last week we had not one, but two legendary basketball players at Boston HQ.   WNBA icons Shannon “Pee Wee” Johnson and Dawn Staley — who won gold together at the 2004 Athens Games — reunited at Lovejoy for an employee-exclusive fireside chat.   The unscripted conversation was led by Pee Wee, now a Converse Product Test Analyst, who originally joined the Nike family as part of Women in Nike (WIN), an ongoing, two-year program for retired or retiring WNBA players to gain relevant work experience in a dynamic corporate setting at the Nike, Converse, or Jordan brands.   Prompted by her former teammate, Dawn dove into her journey and best-selling memoir, "Uncommon Favor," speaking to her early influences, storied career, and transformative leadership as current head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team, which she’s taken from a struggling squad to a national leader. She tied it all together by presenting Pee Wee, a Gamecocks alum, with a 2024 championship ring, gifted only to the school’s greatest players, whose jerseys have been retired.   Throughout it all, Dawn touched on themes of challenge, failure, and resilience, reminding employees that adversity can be seen as a motivator rather than a hurdle: “I didn't have that same mentality until I was failing,” she admitted, “and then I started competing.”