Shoe image stamped out by endorsements

Cobain wore them. So did Bill Russell. And neither needed an endorsement deal to wear the famous All-Stars.

But over the years, as sneakers became advertising vehicles, Converse has been stomped in the bidding war.

In the 80s they were cool. Now it's all about looking like LeBron, Jordan, and any other hot sports star of the moment.

It all began when "Taylor walked into the Converse office in Chicago in 1921 with a notion of how to improve the clunky basketball shoe. He got a job, and a legend was laced up.

Taylor became Johnny Sneaker-seed, traveling America with a load of Converse All-Stars in the back of his car. After a couple of years, his autograph went across the shoe's five-pronged star emblem.

The loyalty to Converse was because of Chuck Taylor, not because of the brand or brand image."