Sole Classics Creates A New Campaign Called #IWearVansBecause (Video) @soleclassics #soleclassics

Feb 15 16 under Collaborations, Heritage, History, Vault, Videos | Comments Off

Sole Classics is celebrating their 10 year anniversary this year, and besides a new Vault By Vans shoe coming shortly, they’ve decided to create an awesome new social media campaign asking everybody “I Wear Vans Because…”. They’ve reached out to a few friends, including Doug Worthington of the Los Angeles Rams, to each give their own answer. This is a great question, and surprisingly I’ve never actually been asked this before. I guess I can say “I wear Vans because they’re authentic.” Newcomers may not understand this, but if you’ve been a Vans fanatic for as long as I have, you know and respect what they’re about. You just get it. Sole Classics gets it, and here’s what they had to say about this super clever campaign:

“Why do you wear Vans? We have helped serve thousands of different customers from all different walks of life, who may not have anything at all in common, yet they share one common bond; their love for Vans. We have seen them skated, preserved, hiked, collected, dressed up and dressed down. The only thing constant is that the people who wear them love them.

To celebrate our upcoming collaboration with Vault by Vans, we have decided to dig a little deeper. We wanted to give you a peek into our world, as some of our customers tell us why they wear Vans. Get active with the hashtag.. #IWearVansBecause”

Vans Japan x Beams – 40th & 50th Anniversary Era 59 & SVD Vinyl Toy

Feb 14 16 under Collaborations, Heritage, History, Japan Only | Comments Off

Vans Japan teams up with Japanese retailer Beams, to celebrate Vans’ 50th and Beams’ 40th anniversaries. They’ve created this vintage looking navy and white Era 59 for the pack, but the coolest thing of all is the vinyl toy that is included, of none other than Steve Van Doren! How cool is that? Why doesn’t Vans USA do this?! As per usual, these are exclusive to Beams Japan, unless you have a proxy.

more pics after the jump

Vans Approaches 50th Anniversary with 50 Colorways of the Sk8-Hi

Feb 1 16 under General Release, Heritage, History | Comments Off

Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand continues its celebration of 50 extraordinary years presenting the Sk8-Hi in a collection that spans 50 colorways for spring. The Sk8-Hi was first introduced as Vans “Style 38” in 1977 and was the first high-top silhouette offered by Vans. The multi-panel construction provided endless customization possibilities allowing the Sk8-Hi to be worn and styled by artists, athletes and creative expressers alike.

The Sk8-Hi serves as a canvas for new color offerings, vibrant prints and premium material upgrades, while its timeless form provides a framework for design enhancements including deconstructed uppers, zip back detailing and slim sole construction. Each new enhancement stands alongside the original Sk8-Hi colorways that were first introduced almost 40 years ago.

The 50 renditions of the Sk8-Hi are offered for men and women in makeups that showcase the design versatility of the classic footwear model. The men’s assortment highlights the Sk8-Hi in Zip and Reissue forms in a range of premium leather options including snakeskin embossed leather. The multifaceted composition of the quarter panel boasts embroidered bandana details, digitally printed floral and woven textile inserts all marked with Vans’ coveted Sidestripe.

The women’s collection features fresh colorways of all canvas basics as well as new playful prints that include an all-over banana pattern, tropical motifs and a specialty print from New York artist, Baron Von Fancy. Leather in blush tone nude, patent leopard, metallic and laser cut stars present fashion forward takes of the Sk8-Hi. Newly introduced, the Sk8-Hi Slim Cutout is designed with a see through mesh liner on the quarter panel bringing forth a whole new styling opportunity of a Vans classic.

Celebrate with Vans and brand ambassadors including Steve Caballero, Henry Rollins, Natalie Westling, Syd Tha Kyd, Jay Howell, Wade Goodall and Lizzie Armanto, as we honor 50 years of classic design with the Sk8-Hi, a style that remains a constant source of inspiration and a catalyst for personal style and self-expression. Shop the Vans Sk8-Hi collection at Vans stores and online at vans.com/sk8hi.

All 50 Sk8-Hi’s for 2016 can be seen after the jump

Vans Joins Iconic Personalities to Honor the Legacy of the Sk8-Hi

Jan 19 16 under Collaborations, General Release, Heritage, History | Comments Off

2016 marks the 50^th anniversary of the original action sports footwear and apparel brand. In honor of this fete, Vans commemorates the Sk8-Hi, the iconic style that carries the progressive and storied history of the Vans brand down to its sole. The Sk8-Hi is admired by many for its simplicity and its ability to be worn across a range of cultural influences. To showcase the Sk8-Hi’s depth, Vans partners with a roster of icons to tell the story of the Sk8-Hi and its impact on expression.

Marked with Vans’ coveted Sidestripe, the Sk8-Hi was first seen on the streets in 1978. Its introduction marked a milestone in footwear as the first high top designed by skaters for skateboarding. With its core deeply rooted in action sports, the Sk8-Hi has since been embraced by communities within music, fashion and art, and has grown to represent the creative cultures and personalities of the past, present and future.

Vans brings together skateboarding legend, Steve Caballero, Grammy nominated artist Syd Tha Kyd, Vans skate team rider Lizzie Armanto, punk rock icon Henry Rollins, celebrated artist and animator Jay Howell, international model Natalie Westling and professional surfer and Vans team rider Wade Goodall to help tell the unmatched history of the Sk8-Hi. Vans artfully captures intimate moments with each ambassador and their deep connections to the Sk8-Hi while showing the time-tested function and personal style capabilities the silhouette represents. Together these iconic personalities embody the rich heritage of the Sk8-Hi silhouette and the evolution of the Vans brand.

Read more about each individual after the jump Read More

Hypebeast Presents: Vans Syndicate Celebrates its 10 Years With Family and Friends (Video) #TheseDays #VansSyndicate #KnownGallery #Hypebeast

Dec 23 15 under Collaborations, Events, Friends, Heritage, History, Syndicate, Videos | Comments Off

Words via Hypebeast:

“Vans Syndicate celebrated its 10-year anniversary last month, and in celebration of this significant milestone, the brand hosted a retrospective installation at Los Angeles’ Known Gallery. Take a look inside the event which features artwork, limited edition collectibles, special collaborative projects and much more — all to commemorate a decade in existence. The installation is entitled These Days: Ten Years of Vans Syndicate and many of the most notable Vans’ family and friends were there for the opening, including Shawn Stussy, Jason Dill, Tetsu Mishiyama and of course, Rian Pozzebon, Vans’ head of design and founding designer of Vans Syndicate.”

Event Recap: These Days – 10 Years of Vans Syndicate (A Retrospective) #vanssyndicate #thesedays

Nov 23 15 under Collaborations, Events, Heritage, History, Syndicate | Comments Off

It’s Friday. The event we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. At the beginning of the week, I had asked the boss if I could get off work early so that I could go to another one of my sneaker-related events. He knows I have this weird obsession with buying sneakers, and he knows I have a lot of them. That’s about as far as I get with him, before I lose his attention to some other matter of business. I’m sure this relates to many of you with your family members, friends, and co-workers. They don’t get it, and quite honestly they could probably care less. “WE GET IT. YOU LIKE SHOES. DO YOU HAVE THOSE KANYE WEST ONES?”

Well, this sneaker-related event wasn’t just any old sneaker event. In fact, it was probably the most prolific sneaker-related event I could’ve ever attended in all the years of me being into this hobby. The reason is because… Read More

Speedway Mag: Rian Pozzebon talks Ten Years of Vans Syndicate (Interview by @Farran_Golding)

Nov 18 15 under Articles, Collaborations, Heritage, History, Syndicate | Comments Off

As we reluctantly see the Vans Syndicate line come to an end, a few people have been sharing their own perspectives of the brand, and it’s nice to see this kind of attention being shed on the one sub-brand at Vans that was sort of the catalyst for the Vans collecting community. We didn’t even know it yet, but we were bridging the fashion forward Vans Vault consumer, with the sneakerhead collector lining up at their local skate shops in the early morning for some coveted re-sellable release. Over the years, as the Swoosh started to toy around with their consumers, Vans Syndicate offered up a nice alternative, and dollars started to migrate towards the “S”. Our Vans community was growing leaps and bounds, and was starting to get some recognition. Vans is solidified in the sneaker collecting community, and dare I say it all started with Vans Syndicate.

With that being said, Farran Golding, of Sidewalk Mag, Welcome Leeds, The Green Zine, and Speedway Mag, had a chance to catch up with Syndicate’s footwear design manager Rian Pozzebon, and ask him a few questions about the almighty “S”, like how it was created, who was integral in it’s early years, their purpose, the shoe Rian currently wears, and even an ever so slight hint at what the future holds for Vans Syndicate, or whatever it evolves into. Head on over to Speedway Mag to read the article, and follow Farran here on Instagram and Twitter.

CATCH HIS ARTICLE HERE!

The One Out of Step – A Farewell Salute to Vans Syndicate by The Hundreds’ Maarten Warning (@warheadnl)

Nov 17 15 under Articles, Collaborations, Heritage, History, Syndicate | Comments Off

I just stumbled across this article this morning, and I must say, I had no idea there were others out there who knew as much info as my fellow Under The Palms / Strictly Vans homies, about Vans Syndicate. I really thought we had found them all, and had hazed them into our fraternity. I’m talking about some detailed shit, like back-story type shit. Stuff you only hear about from original Vans Syndicate dealers, reps, and employees, as well from just personal experience early on before the Vans hype started to grow into what it is today. Founder of Noise Magazine, Lacebag, and now an author for The Hundreds, Amsterdam-native Maarten Warning, has created the best tribute to Vans Syndicate that I’ve read so far. Now that I think of it, it makes complete sense, as there is a pretty big “S” following in The Netherlands! Shout out to Erwin! Anyways, Maarten’s article goes in depth about the start of Vans Syndicate, the early collaborations, and even put together an awesome, and nearly similar to what I’d have chosen list of his 10 favorite Syndicate releases. Please take the time out to read his article over at The Hundreds, and follow him @warheadnl on Instagram and Twitter.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO HIS ARTICLE

Vans Syndicate Presents: These Days – 10 Years of Vans Syndicate (Friday 11.20.15)

Nov 11 15 under Collaborations, Events, Heritage, History, Syndicate | Comments Off

We never really imagined this day coming, but as we all know all good things must come to an end at some time or another. As so, is our beloved Vans Syndicate brand, and they’ve created a special event to celebrate the ten years of Vans Syndicate, an exhibition being put on at the Known Gallery on Fairfax. Word is, that the complete Vans Syndicate catalog will be on display, from series 001-030. We’ve been cordially invited to pass this invite on to all of our fellow Vans fanatics, collectors, enthusiasts, and friends, to share in this joyous occasion. Syndicate is going out with a bang, and we hope to see each and every one of our core group members at this event, representing and sending the “S” off in style.

(I just want to mention that without Vans Syndicate, there is no way that our Vans sneaker community would have grown to the size that it is today. From the early days, Syndicates were introduced to the same core skate shops where Nike SB was being sold, which we can agree launched the whole sneaker collecting culture into what it has become today. Right out of the gate, Syndicate was introducing us to collaborations with artists and brands some of us have never heard of, but knew were special just purely on their level of quality. Sturdy drawer boxes, dust bags, briefing envelopes explaining the design and story, and random accessories were all standard issue. Sneakerheads were aware, even if they weren’t brave enough to step outside of that “narrow path” just yet.

We also need to give credit to those skate shops that really embraced Vans Syndicate, and truly understood the value and importance of it. I can’t think of any other shop, than our good friend Brant Van Boening’s Silo, who have dedicated a lot of time and energy into making sure every single Vans Syndicate release got it’s proper shine in the spotlight. He sought out our Vans collector community when we were still quite small, and didn’t represent much buying power to skate shops, and he made sure that we would always be taken care of, and that we would understand fully, each Syndicate release. There’s your real advocate. It’s insane and quite insulting to still see that he hasn’t had his very own Vans Syndicate collaboration. Stop fucking around Vans and give this guy what he deserves! He’ll never ask for it, himself).

*Stepping off soap box now*

Vans Syndicate 029.173 x Luke Meier – Seylynn “S” (9.19.15)

Sep 16 15 under Collaborations, Heritage, History, Syndicate | Comments Off

LUKE_MEIER_SEYLYNN

Via Silo:

STYLE: SEYLYNN “S”
INDEX #: 029.172
MATERIAL: NUBUCK / LEATHER
COLOR: (LUKE MEIER) WHITE
DELIVERY: 09/19/15
MTL #: VN-ØRAKGSI
SIZES: 6.5-12, 13

PROJECT BRIEFING: LUKE MEIER

Vans Syndicate’s 10th anniversary celebration continues September 19 with the release of the Seylynn “S” by designer Luke Meier. With his menswear label OAMC, Meier’s approach often challenges the status quo, merging high-end fashion with streetwear function. Meier’s transformation of an elegant dress shoe silhouette into a functional Vans skateboarding classic with the Syndicate Seylynn “S” is no different.

Vans Syndicate presents the Luke Meier Seylynn “S” in a buttery all-white premium nubuck. The Vans Syndicate x Luke Meier anniversary project launches worldwide in-store and online on Saturday, September 19th at SILO.

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