Deluxe and Vans preview a pair of Eras from their 10th Anniversary Collection. Featuring a streamlined silhouette, the simple monotone upper is made of a hairy suede that is contrasted by white laces. A light brown leather patch accents the heel portion of the ankle closure. Priced at ¥13,650 JPY (approximately £100), the shoes will come in black and navy colourways
Not new to each other, Stone Island and Italian footwear maker Diemme have teamed up once again and present a solid sneaker offering for Spring/Summer 2013. Featuring a satin weave and cotton canvas upper with suede heel reinforcements, the two stayed close to your favourite Vans silhouettes with this release. A low top version, similar to the Era and a mid top version, similar to the Chukka Boot, are presented, each available in the three colours of the French flag – white, navy and red. Pick up a pair here
Posted in Diemme, Footwear, Sneakers, Stone Island
Tagged 2013, Chukka, Diemme, Era, Sneakers, Spring Summer, Stone Island
To celebrate the coming solstice, Supreme has released a capsule collection in conjunction with Vans, basking in its skate heritage with an all-over floral print – aptly juxtaposing alternative punk culture with 19th century European art. Here, the popular SK8- Hi, Chukka and Era receive covet renditions courtesy of artwork from New Order’s 1983 album release: Power, Corruption & Lies. The album sleeve was designed by English art director Peter Saville who interpolated his idea from French artist Henri Fantin-Latour’s “A Basket of Roses” painting. The Chukka and Era will feature canvas uppers with leather lining and in-soles, and as usual the SK8-Hi will feature a premium suede toe box and canvas leather accents, rounded up with a white vulcanized sole on all profiles. The capsule collection will be available in-store in NY, LA and London and online on March 7, in addition to availability in Japan from March 9 onwards.
VANS Syndicate has just let loose with a few new colorways of the Authentic 69 Pro S for Spring 2013. Fitting in nicely within any sneaker collection, you have your choice of the kicks in a soft royal blue, cherry red, or black, each with a subtle checker print that blends into the rest of the monochromatic suede upper. The entire look pops between a snow white rubber sole and a black sock liner, while silver eyelets and a black ribbon for the heel accent provide a nice finish to the look.
i-D Magazine has conducted and amazing interview with Steve Van Doren son of one half of the founders of VANS…..check it out below
With roots in old school, skate-culture California, Vans create timeless shoes. You’d find it hard not to find a pair of Authentics in any street-wise teen or twenty-something’s shoebox.
Started up in ’66 by the Van Doren brothers, Paul and James, as a down-town California quality casual shoe shop, Vans has gone through the motions to become an i-Conic household name with surfer dudes, skater kids and fashionistas alike handing over their P’s to get their hands on a pair of slip-ons, mid-cuts or high-tops, but forever and always Vans are Grounded in Boards and Bikes.
Steve Van Doren, son of Paul was there to watch from the sidelines as the likes of Dogtown legends Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta skated in and out of the shop, as Sean Penn sent the sneakers viral after Fast Times at Ridgemont High and has been the brains behind the brand for the last 30 years, coining its counter-culture slogan ‘Off The Wall’. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Vans Half-Cab and Mr Van D is proud to present in collaboration with skater boy Steve Caballero, a new Anniversary Half Cab colourway each month of 2012. To top off the year, after a few stints here in the 90’s, the Vans Warped Tour is coming back to England this November, and is all set to see the do-it-yourself generation singing, skating and extreme sporting.
i-D online talk boarders, BMXer’s and California coastal cool with Steve Van Doren.
Have the majority of Vans shoes been designed with sports in mind or for everyday streetwear? Up till the mid 1970s our shoes were designed for everyday wear. Skateboarders wore our shoes because they lasted longer and gripped their skateboards better because of our special waffle bottom outsole.
The Vans brand over the years has become internationally loved. How do you believe Vans forged that connection with worldwide consumers? Time and Passion. You don’t make good wine overnight and you don’t make a great brand overnight either. My father, Paul, and his two partners, Jim Van Doren and Gordon Lee, put in years of passion towards making great shoes. Last decade, we were acquired by VF Corporation. They have injected us with many resources – greater global distribution, more quality designers and staff that have helped us grow Vans by geographically going where we’ve never been before.
Would you say a great deal of the brand’s success came from Sean Penn wearing a pair of checkered slip-ons in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High? I was 10 years old when my Dad started Vans in 1966. When Fast Times came out I was in my 20s and I had never seen so much excitement worldwide for our brand. Spicoli was a teenage icon: the cool teenage surfer dude and Vans fit him to a tee!
When did the Vans brand realize it had gained a following of skateboarders and why do you believe that was? We realized it in the mid 70’s. This was the time of the Dogtown skate legends. The local skaters would come into our Vans stores and buy our classic deck shoes. The skaters and surfers adopted us really. My father wasn’t much on advertising back in the day so we relied on our product and word-of-mouth.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? I look at feet all the time and teens everywhere. It was easy years ago when we had our own factories here in California. I could see thousand of ideas and if I liked something I would just make a sample. It goes all the way back before the checkerboard shoe was created. I saw many kids coloring their Vans’ white rubber around the shoes with a checkerboard pattern. So I went and printed the rubber with checkerboard on them and began offering this for custom-made shoes.
Has it been hard to design a versatile shoe that can withstand sports like skateboarding but also work for day to day use? No, not really. We’re not a running shoe company where you pound a shoe for 6 miles. My father and his partners were in the shoe business for 20 years before starting Vans and knew how important fit was.
What collection or specific shoe are you most proud of? And what are you most likely to be seen in? I am most proud that the original 1966 Vans Style #44 has lasted 46 years and is still our #1 selling-style today as the Authentic. I was always a Slip-on guy and 95% of the time I wear our Slip-ons. I also am as proud of our Vault line as they are pricy, but people all over the planet love Vans and want to purchase them in premium materials.
Posted in Photography, Streetwear, Vans
Tagged Authentic, California, Era, Interview, Skate, Skateboarding, Vans, Vintage
On from the other day a new image has appeared from Kenzo & Vans…to be fair I was disappointed regarding the stripes pack but the FLORALS have me wearing little chuffy badge…. A preliminary preview indicates a vibrant colours in three floral styles. The 3rd drop of Kenzo x Vans collaboration will hit select retailers in mid August and retail for €90.
Following up on a set of co-branded Eras, KENZO and Vans are embarking on yet another joint venture, this time on a trio of Authentic styles. The classic Vans model comes in a trio of striped colorways — brown and yellow, blue and yellow plus green and yellow variations — each featuring white painted eyelets and laces, as well as a white rubber midsole with contrast foxing stripe. A double-branded Vans and KENZO insole completes the details. The kicks will be made available for both men and women, dropping at select retailers starting in August…Ive also just bought the mens collection for SS13 and know there will be a drop in November which will be the best yet!!
The Van Doren pack from Vans has certainly made for a definite highlight from the Southern California footwear brand. Styles from the pack have been hitting retailers including this “White Skulls” Era. The shoes feature a white canvas that is adorned with black skulls sporting shades and a bandana. These are now available at select retailers.
Posted in Sneakers, Streetwear, Vans
Capitalizing on the popularity of all-over prints this spring, Vans has dropped this version of the Era. Covered in a paisley motif across the canvas upper, the sneakers come in a Better Chocolate colorway with rope laces and off-white rubber foxing.
Posted in Sneakers, Streetwear, Vans
Tagged California, Era, Paisley, Sneakers, Trainers, Vans, Washed
The previously unveiled Kenzo and Vans footwear collaboration is about to make its official arrival. If you’d like to snag a pair, you’d better move quickly. Offered in seven different colorways, Opening Ceremony is taking pre-orders for the collaborative footwear range here. In addition to the first installment, Kenzo and Vans will be releasing several additional colorway options as part of a second drop in July. Retail is set at $125 USD each for the shoes.
