Our 5th graders were invited to the Converse Headquarters in Boston to learn about the design of their sneakers, the history of Converse, how you can custom create your own sneakers, what it’s like to work in the company retail store, how they use technology and innovation in their product designs, how the supply chain is an important aspect of retail, and seeing the state-of-the-art recording studio while a band was having a live recording session.
The Community Impact for Converse met our students and took them on a fascinating tour of the building. The students learned the rich history and beginnings of Converse, which started out in Malden, Massachusetts, and evolved into a basketball sneaker worn by the likes of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. They got to hang out in the company cafeteria and play a little Foosball and pool and see how the employees spend a little downtime.
The students really enjoyed seeing Converse’s Rubber Tracks recording studio where they had an opportunity to meet with two members of the team and hear about how they invite recording artists into the studio to record music for free. The tour ended with a visit to the Converse Company Store where they met an employee and learned how you can custom create your own custom sneaker in their Blank Canvas section by choosing soles, laces, graphics and the material.
The students were all very intrigued by the tour and were surprised to learn that there were many career paths at a sneaker company beyond designing sneakers. They were also very excited by all the cool artwork they saw like the sneaker made entirely out of staples, the table made out of shoe laces and the sneaker light fixture.
Many thanks to Converse and the Community Impact Team for her time!
