ITOCHU and Minoya have established a joint venture, Converse Apparel, to strengthen the marketing, planning, production, and sales of apparel for the Converse brand. Morihiko Kinomura, president of Minoya, will serve as Representative Director and Chairman, and Yoshihiro Fukushima, chairman of Converse Footwear (seconded from ITOCHU), will serve as Representative Director and President. By leveraging each other's know-how and management resources, the two companies aim to further enhance the value of the Converse brand and expand its market.

In expanding the Converse brand in Japan, ITOCHU, which holds the trademark rights, has appointed Converse Japan as the master licensee, and is working with sublicensees such as Converse Footwear to develop branding and marketing. The establishment of this joint venture marks a step forward. Having worked to enhance the value of the Converse brand in the Japanese market for 20 years, ITOCHU and Minoya will further leverage the Converse brand's two strengths: its more than 100-year history and widespread consumer support. They will strengthen the collaboration between its core footwear and apparel products.

In the future, the company will increase projects linked to shoes, as well as expand into new sales channels such as store development and sports distribution. The sales target for three years from now is 15 billion yen on a retail price basis.