Converse and Gap Introduce Exclusive Converse (PRODUCT) RED(TM) Chuck Taylor(R) All Star(R) Shoes at Gap Stores for Spring 2007

N. ANDOVER, Mass., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spirit of personal creativity and self-expression inherent to the Converse brand, Converse and Gap will unveil two limited edition Converse (PRODUCT) RED Chuck Taylor All Star shoes available exclusively at select Gap stores for Spring, beginning March 2007. As two of the partner brands of (PRODUCT) RED, Converse and Gap are teaming up with (PRODUCT) RED to help eliminate AIDS in Africa, and these new shoes are their second introduction of specialty retail shoes. (PRODUCT) RED is an economic initiative created by Bono (U2, singer and activist) and Bobby Shriver (Chairman of DATA - Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), designed to deliver a sustainable flow of private sector money to the Global Fund to invest in African AIDS programs with an emphasis on the health of women and children.

The two Converse (PRODUCT) RED offerings feature the Chuck Taylor All Star classic silhouette, with details that tie back to Gap's current (PRODUCT) RED collection through color and material treatments. Sporting "rummage" canvas, a simple all white model features red accents and distressed, frayed canvas seam detail giving it a clean, yet worn-in, comfortable look and feel. Similarly, an olive green canvas shoe has the same fraying and a faded canvas upper that gives it the comfort and look of well-worn military fatigues. Both shoes include iconic Converse (PRODUCT) RED detailing such as the (CONVERSE) RED logo inscribed on the insole of the shoe and red eyelets symbolically adorning the top of the shoes.

The limited edition Converse (PRODUCT) RED Gap Chuck Taylor All Star shoes will be available in March at more than 180 Gap stores nationwide with a suggested retail price of $67, with 5% of Converse's net wholesale price of the shoe going to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Additionally, 50% of the net profits of Gap's sales of Converse (PRODUCT) RED shoes will go to the Global Fund. For more information log onto http://www.converse.com/, or http://www.gap.com/.

Also for Spring 2007, Converse (PRODUCT) RED will introduce collaborations with Dave's Quality Meat, Kicks Hawaii, Nom De Guerre and St. Alfred this Spring with 10% of the net wholesale price of these shoes going to the Global Fund. Consumers can also express their own creativity by customizing their own Converse (PRODUCT) RED shoes with the MAKE MINE RED option offered on http://www.converseone.com/ with 15% of the net retail sales of these shoes going to the Global Fund.

Converse will collaborate with celebrated designers, artists, musicians and filmmakers to inspire originality by offering limited edition Converse (PRODUCT) RED shoes each season on a unique canvas that preserve culture and embrace creativity. Depending on the product sold, 5% - 15% of net sales from Converse (PRODUCT) RED shoes will go to the Global Fund.

About Converse

Established in 1908, the Converse brand has built a reputation as "America's Original Sports Company"(TM) and has been associated with a rich heritage of legendary shoes such as the Chuck Taylor(R) All Star(R) shoe, the Jack Purcell(R) shoe and the One Star(R) shoe. Converse was the first basketball shoe to ever make contact with the court in 1917. Soon after, Converse gained iconic status with the creation of the Chuck Taylor All Star shoe in 1923, which went unmatched through five decades of professional basketball. For more information, visit Converse on the web at http://www.converse.com/.

About Gap Inc.

Gap Inc. is a leading international specialty retailer offering clothing, accessories and personal care products for men, women, children and babies under the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Forth & Towne and Piperlime brand names. Fiscal 2006 sales were $15.9 billion. Gap Inc. operates more than 3,100 stores in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Ireland and Japan. In addition, Gap Inc. is expanding its international presence with franchise agreements for Gap and Banana Republic in Asia and the Middle East. For more information, please visit gapinc.com.

About (RED)(TM) and (PRODUCT) RED (RED)'s primary objective is to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds for the Global Fund, to help fight AIDS in Africa. Companies whose products take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark contribute a significant percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. Current partners are: American Express (U.K. only), Apple, Converse, Gap, Giorgio Armani, and Motorola. MySpace.com is the first media sponsor in the United Kingdom and MTV Networks is the first media sponsor in the US. WWW.JOINRED.COM

About the Global Fund

The Global Fund is the world's leading funder of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which taken together kill over 6 million people per year. Created in 2002, the Global Fund has approved grants worth $7.5 billion to programs in 136 countries. Of this, $2.8 billion has been committed to AIDS programs in Africa. As of December 2006, Global Fund-financed programs had put 770,000 people on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment; had distributed 18 million insecticide-treated bed nets to combat malaria; and had detected and treated more than 2 million TB cases -- which are rising sharply due to co-infection with HIV -- under DOTS, the internationally-approved TB control strategy.

The Global Fund is a public-private partnership, governed by representatives of governments, the private sector and civil society from all over the world. It enables countries to design and execute their own programs, but provides funds only on the basis of proven results. It is a lean institution with operating costs of less than 2%, ensuring that resources go directly to where they are needed most. The Global Fund needs additional resources from all sectors to continue scaling up the support for life-saving work around the world. For more information about The Global Fund, visit: http://www.theglobalfund.org/.