Highsnobiety’s Timeline of Vans x Supreme collaborations (Retrospective)

Mar 8 12 under Articles, Collaborations, Supreme | Comments Off

With today’s release of the Supreme MC “Mike Carroll” Vans shoe, Highsnobiety decided to put together an article showcasing all of the shoe collaborations that Supreme has done with Vans over the years. Their relationship dates back to 1996, when Supreme had just shown up on the scene, and some of those early releases are holy grails for some today. A few members on our site even hold a few of those prized gems! All of these shoes can be found on the Supreme site, under the Random section, but Highsnobiety has taken a few nice screenshots for you as well. Also, I’d like to point out that Supreme didn’t list every single colorway for all of their releases. Can you tell us which ones are missing?

Read the entire article here.

New Technology: Vans Waffle Cup Soles

Jan 28 12 under Ads, Articles, Heritage, Pro, Videos | Comments Off

Leave it up to Vans to engineer skateboarding’s very first vulcanized cupsole. A new breakthrough for skating, as every skater wants the board feel that a standard Vans vulcanized sole gives, but they also don’t want to shred their pair in about a week. They also want comfort, and let’s face it, Vans aren’t your grandpa’s fancy walking shoes, and a removable sockliner can only help so much. Vans thought they had that figured out in the 80s, by switching to a cupsole design. While they tackled the wear issues, and comfort, they inherently lost that crucial board feel with their skate shoes. Well, after years of skaters having to just deal with tossing out fairly new pairs of Vans vulcanized shoes, they can proudly say that they’ve come up with a happy medium, and I think this is going to be a great thing. They’ve come up with a new design that combines the new age cupsoles, with a vulcanized outer rubber, that gets attached to the shoe in the same old fashion that Vans has always done it, by baking it. You know what? Just watch the damn video already! It’s pretty entertaining!

info via Offthewall.tv

Interview: Steve Caballero Tells the Story of the Vans Half Cab (via Complex)

Jan 27 12 under Articles, Heritage, History, Interviews | Comments Off

Complex magazine recently sat down with legendary Steve Caballero, the subsequent creator of the Vans Half Cab.

“The Vans Half Cab turns 20 this year, and its namesake, original Bones Brigade member Steve Caballero is still going strong as well. The 47-year-old Cab was on the cover of The Skateboard Mag back in September skating his signature kicks, and he blessed Complex with an interview to discuss the birth of the midcut skate shoe as well as a very special Supreme collabo.” -Complex

Check out the rest of the interview over on Complex, and enjoy some of the pics, including one that looks like my Instagram from my iPhone screen shot awhile back. It could be anybody’s!

My Top 5: Vans Projects of 2011 by DJ Guamstyles (exclusively on @FOODWITHSOLE)

Jan 20 12 under Articles, Interviews, OTWS | Comments Off

My friend, and cousin of one of my good friends that I grew up with, runs a site called FOOD WITH SOLE. You may also know of him by that same name. He’s a real cool homie, and I like what he’s got going on over on his site. He’s figured out a way to incorporate two things we can’t deny we all love, and that’s the love of sneakers, and the love of food. When everyone runs a copy and paste blog these days, including us to some extent, it’s nice to see some unique, original ideas still out there. When he came to me with the idea of being a part of his “My Top 5” ongoing features, I was honored and was willing to jump on board right away. Honestly, I had already picked my top 5 releases for 2011 on our own OTWS forum, so the hard part was out of the way…or so I thought. I began understanding that I was going to be repping us here at OTWS, and I knew that some of my personal choices weren’t the same as the rest of the members. I made a few adjustments, and came up with a more well rounded selection, that represented our general consensus. I’m satisfied with my choices, and I hope you’ll all agree, or at least understand my picks. Do me a favor, and go check out my article, and after that, leave a comment to discuss your opinions, or to share your top 5. Be sure to add foodwithsole.com to your favorites, and add him on twitter. I know he’s got a lot more in store for all of us!

Thanks @Gizmodo for helping our site hit 1,000 unique visitors!

Dec 21 11 under Articles, History | Comments Off

Hey guys, I just wanted to point out that our site has had quite a few new visitors over the past few days, and I’m guessing it has to do with the recent iPhone4 case that just started popping up at a few Vans stores. Actually, we need to thank the #1 tech blog as we know it, Gizmodo, for giving us some credit for having the most useful information about the case. Take a look at our increase in traffic over the past few days. Now don’t laugh, because I know our traffic isn’t spectacular, but it’s damn good for me! On a good day, we would normally see about 600-700 visitors, and average is around 400-500 visitors per day. Now, I haven’t checked out my Google analytics in awhile, but I know they aren’t far off from what ShortStat displays. Yesterday was the first time we’ve hit 1,000 unique visitors! Hopefully this surge in exposure will help direct long lost Vans enthusiasts like ourselves, who love any and everything Vans related, but never knew we existed. I feel 2012 will be another solid growing year for OTWS. Once again, thanks Gizmodo!

Rest In Peace: James Van Doren – Vans Co-Founder

Nov 4 11 under Articles, Heritage | Comments Off

Brother, to Paul Van Doren, and uncle to Steve Van Doren, James Van Doren passed away on October 12th, at the age of 72. He co-founded the Van Doren Rubber Company back in 1966, which later went on to become our beloved Vans brand that it is today.

Here’s a few nice words from Hypebeast:

“When the Van Doren brother’s first samples released in the mid-’60s at their shop in Anaheim, the duo was dedicated to crafting a quality “bespoke” rubber-soled deck shoe that catered to a clientele that favored unconventional designs, patterns and funky aesthetics. The now storied footwear company first rose to mainstream prominence when Sean Penn wore the signature checkerboard Slip-Ons in Fast Times at Ridgemont High in his role as Jeff Spicoli. A faithful supporter of the brand to the end, Van Doren is said to have worn a pair of the deck shoes every day until his passing on October 12th. Although Van Doren had been out of the business since the mid-‘80s, his passing leaves behind a legacy that is as timeless as his namesake sneaker brand.”

The Vans DQM General (NYC)

Aug 2 11 under Articles, Collaborations | Comments Off

Vans and DQM are teaming up to bring New York their first Vans retail store, and Hypebeast has released an article explaining everything you need to know about it, and why it’s a big deal for Vans and New York.

Words via Hypebeast:

“The General, Vans’ first company retail foray in Manhattan, brings together two of the most prolific names in contemporary streetwear – one rooted in Southern California surf and skate, the other in New York skate and street – in creating a unique retail concept carrying both original, exclusive co-branded DQM for Vans footwear and crafted apparel as well as select Vans and DQM premium product for men, women and kids”

Read the rest of the article here.

This is the Collector: Ryan A. aka Ryanskeet

May 10 11 under Articles, Interviews | Comments Off

We’ve been waiting for a minute now, on the next collector feature from OTW, but wait no longer! Next up is Ryan, aka Ryanskeet. I’ve met this homie a few times, to buy, sell, and trade kicks, and he’s got an interesting collection, as well as some very artistic photos! I want his humongous Vans 106 Customs store display shoe! Check out his feature over on the OTW site now.

The History of Supreme x Vans Collaborations

Mar 19 11 under Articles, Collaborations, Supreme | Comments Off

It’s no secret that Vans and Supreme have a great history with each other. Pumping out collections, multiple times a year, each very unique from the last. Complex magazine has put together a little piece on the history of Supreme and Vans collaborations. Check it out here.

Vintage Vans Shoes Ads

Feb 2 11 under Articles, Vintage | Comments Off

I was randomly going through Google images, and I came across a few pics from Artifact Bag Co.’s blog, of random vintage Vans ads. I know there are a ton more out there, and any contributions would be greatly appreciated. Take a stroll down the Vans memory lane, and enjoy these cool ads.

pics via Artifact Bag Co.

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