Converse launches new fashion collection

Converse trainers are as much iconic as they are a fashionista's staple. The company is hoping their new fashion collections will follow on similar foot. Launching exclusively in the UK for spring 07, the collections is aimed at fashionable 18-30 year olds who are trend conscious, rather than sports-oriented. Converse Apparel was revealed at the UK tradeshow To Be Confirmed and received a very positive response from buyers. Cited by the press as one of the strongest ranges at the show.

The collection is a step forward for the brand from what it was previous – large logos, graphic T-shirts, hoodies and sweats – to a much more fashion-led consumer product. The collection is designed to appeal to existing All Star consumers and spans about 50 pieces per line. With two main collection s a year and a further two transition lines, the range is compact, cohesive and commercial.

Good quality slim-fit T's sit alongside stylish zip-through jackets and sweat tops with fine-gauge striped and jacquard knits including polo shirts, blouses and skirts. Denim is also featured and is an added point of difference for the brand. Available in five fits for men, including loose fit, comfort fit and regular fit, with a further three fits for women, including a boot cut version.

The range is for consumers who are into brands of the moment and recognise e the strong association surrounding the Converse trademark and the iconic values, according to Ben Smith, who is head of design. The customer is “probably aged 18-late 20s, and likes skinny jean and bans, are fashion aware but don't want sports product.” The sports element still features, of curse, but is visible only in details such as drop-stitch motifs.

Smith further described the Converse Apparel collection as an individual piece range. The idea is that you can take any one item from the collection and wear it with a favourite pair of jeans. Colour and an overall look hold the collection together, but the idea is that you can pull just one piece out. The brand aims for widespread mainstream distribution across the UK in leading independents and department stores.

www.converse.com
24 August 2006

Converse versus Varvatos

Fresh news from the union between Converse and John Varvatos: the new range has lace-free lace-ups in the season's best bright colours. The tongue of the sneaker is held in place by elastic, but it will look as though the shoe should fall off with the first step. The result is a relaxed but box-fresh look that will stop the popular preppy look becoming too serious.

Definitely essential for your spring summer wardobe.
The trainer costs £80 and is available by calling 020 7243 9450.

www.converse.com
20 January 2005

Nike and Converse on the Same Team

The basketball sneakers worn by Larry Bird and Michael Jordan will find themselves on the same team after Nike Inc. has agreed to acquire Converse Inc. of North Andover.
Nike valued the deal at $305 million, saying it consisted of an undisclosed amount of cash as well as the assumption of debt.

Founded in 1908, Converse's simple canvas high-tops became one of the most storied athletic products and were worn by everyone from the fashionable 'it' crowd to city business types. Things changed in the 1980s, however, as the company failed to keep up with the emergence of Nike's new shoe technologies, not to mention the marketing machine it developed.

The new deal should help spread Nike's assets into new markets. Converse's shoes sell for an average of GBP 35a pair, half of Nike's average price, and retail analysts expect the deal will give Nike access to discount channels and perhaps to Foot Locker, the retailer that dropped many of Nike's more expensive shoes last year.

''Converse's management has done an excellent job of re-establishing this beloved brand with consumers and we look forward to supporting them as they continue to implement their growth strategy,'' Tom Clarke, Nike president of new ventures, said in a press release.

The ''retro'' look of many of Converse's shoes have proved a popular fashion, helping the company grow revenue to $205 million in 2002, up from $149 million in 2001, according to a company filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Converse had a profit of $18.5 million last year, up from $5.7 million in 2001.

10 July 2003
www.converse.com
www.nike.com

Converse goes public

Converse Inc., the footwear company known for the canvas sneaker and other sports shoes, is emerging with an initial public offering, within two years after its former owners sold the brand and the assets in a bankruptcy auction.The new Converse, based in North Andover in the USA, Friday said it plans to raise USD 86.3 million in an IPO next year. For Converse, the IPO would be yet another comeback for a company that has been better known for high-profile flops, notably the company's failure to capitalize on the red-hot sneaker market of the 1980s.

It went through several changes in ownership, as corporations and buyout firms struggled to turn a business around and escape the perception that the company's best days were in the 1960s. It will use proceeds from the IPO to pay off some debt and preferred stock and to fund working capital.

18 December, 2002
www.converse.com