This is the Sk8-Hi – Style #38 Exhibition in the Sneakermuseum Cologne

Aug 26 15 under Collaborations, Events, Heritage, History, Vintage | Comments Off

“The return to icons isn’t just a trend for Vans, it’s part of the history of the almost 50 years young and original action sports brand from California.
From August 21st, Vans presents a special exhibtion in the Sneakermuseum Cologne in cooperation with the local sneaker shop The Good Will Out and the Skateboardmuseum Berlin. The installation will be themed “This is the Sk8-Hi – Style #38” according to the Vans iconic model, which will also be the title of the event.

The exhibition opening will be celebrated in a get-together on Friday, August 21st, from 6 p.m. onwards. Cologne has always been an important center for Vans because of its skate, BMX and social culture. It’s the perfect place to pay tribute to the iconic model and to bring alive the “Van Doren spirit”. The Sk8-Hi stands for good times, festivals in the rain, parties, skate and BMX tours, plummeting and escalations, but maybe also for exam stress and presentations as well as aging and still staying young… the shoe is living culture.

In 1978 Vans designed its first high top lace-up shoe under the lead of Paul van Doren: Style#38, to be known later as the Sk8-Hi. The new silhouette took the functionality in BMX and skateboarding to a new level as the shoe covers the ankle, the most affected body part of skaters and BMX riders. Not only did the Sk8-Hi bring progress in performance, but it also introduced a new look to the era. Established for generations in the action sports culture the Sk8-Hi has become an icon of the worldwide fashion and streetwear culture. Collaborations with Metallica, KISS, The Prodigy, The Beatles and Disney as well as designs by street wear fashion designer Wtaps, Stüssy or Supreme are just a couple of highlights in Sk8-Hi’s history. Till today the Sk8-Hi is part of the Core-Classics line that expresses what Vans stands for: classic & timeless! On show at the exhibition, will be ‘never seen before’ version of the Sk8-Hi, highlighting its rich heritage.

Curator Jürgen Blümlein from Skateboardmuseum Berlin, as well as collector Henry Davies from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PILLOW in London will pass on their knowledge of the brand and will be available for interviews on the opening day. This exhibition is free entry”.

Opening vernissage

Friday, August 21st 2015 from 6pm
Sneakermuseum
Jülicher Strasse 14
50674 Cologne, Germany

check out a few pics from the museum after the jump Read More

Vans Syndicate 029.171 x Mr. Cartoon – Authentic “S” (7.18.15)

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

All pics (including some exclusive ones for UTP!) and info via Silo, which will have very limited pairs available on their webstore on release day, so keep your eyes and ears open!

STYLE: AUTHENTIC “S”
INDEX #: 029.171
MATERIAL: DENIM / PRINTED CANVAS
COLOR: (MISTER CARTOON) BLACK / GOLD
DELIVERY: 07/18/15
MTL #: VN-ØEFPGJM
SIZES: 6.5-12, 13

PROJECT BRIEFING: MR. CARTOON

2015 marks the 10th anniversary of the Vans Syndicate collection, Vans Pro Skate’s celebration of the diverse heritage of ideas, attitudes and influences that make up skateboarding’s unique culture. Vans pays tribute to this milestone by returning to several original Syndicate collaborators to represent a decade of iconoclastic style and heritage.

Vans Syndicate kicks off the anniversary with renowned tattoo and graffiti artist MISTER CARTOON. As the first of five projects in commemoration of the anniversary, MISTER CARTOON pays homage to the first official Syndicate project back in 2005, Season 001.01. The inaugural Syndicate collection turned to MISTER CARTOON to pen the original Syndicate “S” logo and script for his collaboration debut of three Authentic “S” styles.

Vans Syndicate presents the MISTER CARTOON Authentic “S”—originally released in “Blue”, “Penguin” and “Black” with printed canvas quarters and denim toe and heel—this July in black denim and gold accents. Original MISTER CARTOON artwork is screen printed on the quarter panels and footbeds. The Vans Syndicate x MISTER CARTOON anniversary project launches worldwide on Saturday, July 18th.

more pics and specific info after the jump Read More

Highsnobiety Visits: The Other Side of The Pillow (Video Series) @pillowheat #TheOtherSideofThePillow

Jun 10 15 under Friends, Heritage, History, Interviews, Videos, Vintage | Comments Off

Highsnobiety recently visited our friend Henry Davies, owner and #1 vintage Vans curator of The Other Side of The Pillow. We get a cool, first-hand look into his shop, and get schooled on our Vans history. Henry has a wealth of knowledge for Vans, and without him, I don’t think Vans would have as much of a connection to their past, particularly with the designs and array of models. The community is still small, but it’s been steadily growing, and one day I hope to make it across the pond to visit his awesome shop, but until then, we’ll just live vicariously through Highsnobiety and their Highsnobiety Visits features.

Disney And Vans Let Us Be Young At Heart For A Day (#DisneyAndVans)

Jun 1 15 under Collaborations, Events, Friends, General Release, Heritage, History, OTWS, UTP | Comments Off

The Happiest Place On Earth. There isn’t a better way to describe the thoughts and feelings I walked away with after the fun-filled all-day event put on by Disney and Vans this past Thursday. They pulled out all the stops for this event, and I am deeply honored and greatly humbled that I was able to partake in all of the festivities, and hang out with some great people that also do great things in the sneaker world, at a much much more higher level than I do.

continue reading more after the jump

Vans – Propeller – Vans’ First Full-Length Skate Video Coming May 2015 (Video Trailer) #vanspropeller

Mar 23 15 under Heritage, History, Pro, Videos | Comments Off

Music: “Perfect Tuesday” written & performed by Randy Randall

www.vanspropeller.com

Words by Vans:

“The first name in skateboarding footwear and apparel introduces its first-ever feature-length global skateboarding video, PROPELLER. Directed by Greg Hunt, PROPELLER presents a sweeping snapshot of modern skateboarding that only Vans can deliver, featuring full parts from some of the biggest names in modern skateboarding alongside appearances from legends and true pioneers.”

“THIS VIDEO CAPTURES THE STRENGTH OF WHAT OUR TEAM IS AND HAS BEEN FOREVER. THIS IS NOT A TEAM YOU CAN JUST BUY AND THROW TOGETHER.” – Steve Van Doren

Vans Classic x Star Wars – Official Commercial! (Video)

May 5 14 under Ads, Celebs, Collaborations, Events, Heritage, History, NEWS, Pro, Videos | Comments Off

Via Vans:

“To introduce the special edition Vans x Star Wars collection (shoes and apparel) launching June 2014, we went to the Vans Off the Wall Skatepark in Huntington Beach, CA to film a skate contest set in 1980. After legendary skateboarder Christian Hosoi finishes his run, a rookie wookiee (played by another legend — Steve Caballero) rips the bowl and receives mixed scores from the judges. Tony Alva, Jeff Grosso and Vans surf team riders Leila Hurst and Alex Knost can be seen cheering in the crowd alongside Stormtroopers, Jawas and Chewbacca.”

OffTheWall.TV is a digital online video network chronicling the unique aspects of Vans’ brand of youth culture through original video projects and exclusive content exploring skate, surf, snow, BMX, girls’ lifestyle, art and music. With more than 45 years of rich heritage and far-reaching influence in youth culture, OffTheWall.TV story-telling captures the creative expressions of Vans’ “Off the Wall” identity.

Check out http://offthewall.tv/

Subscribe to Vans OffTheWall.TV: http://bit.ly/1aIFFTY

#OffTheWallTV

Vans x Stance – Legends Crew Socks (Available Now!)

Nov 27 13 under Accessories, Apparel, Heritage, History, Pro | Comments Off

Check out these awesome Stance socks that Vans collaborated on, featuring all of the Vans Legends! We got Christian Hosoi, Steve Caballero, Ray Barbee, Jeff Grosso, and John Cardiel. These are epic, and now available at your local Vans shop, or on their website, through our links. Please support OTWS and purchase these by clicking on the pic above, or after the jump!

photo credit to @vansfranklinpark

individual pics after the jump Read More

Vans Syndicate – A Look Back At Prior DEFCON Models Over The Years

Oct 2 13 under Collaborations, Heritage, History, Syndicate | Comments Off

With the news of another DEFCON shoe release from Vans Syndicate’s “secret-ops” design firm within a design firm, I guess it’s time to drop a little bit of knowledge on all of you. Most of you may have seen the DEFCON name mentioned here or there, and perhaps on our Instagram feed photos, but most know nothing about them, and what they do, yet you may all own a pair of shoes that they are responsible for designing. Most of the military themed Syndicate shoes came from them, with the exception of the Carhartt Old Skool, which is of course not a US Military camo pattern anyways. Not to say, that all they do are camo prints, because they’re the ones who created one of my favorite Vans Syndicate releases of all time, the Warrior Mtn. Edition Mid “S”. If you were able to snag the recent copy of These Days, then there’s a nice article in there about DEFCON, and their history with Syndicate. I’ve included it after the jump!

Check out each release after the jump, as well as the These Days Article Scan Read More

8 Yr. Old Quintin LaVille Writes A Letter To Mr. Steve Van Doren

Sep 10 13 under Heritage, History | Comments Off

What an awesome letter! I stumbled across this while on Instagram, and just had to repost it. This 8 year old kid named Quintin LaVille, who currently skates for SCUM skateboards based out of Fullerton, CA, mentioned to SCUM co-founder K.C., that he wants to ride for Vans some day. K.C. told him that if he would write a letter to Mr. Steve Van Doren, he would do all that he could to help get it to him. After reading this letter, it’s clear that this kid gets it. Everything he says is true about Vans shoes, and I’m guessing it’s not from advertisements. Not from friends who have all the cool stuff. No trendsetting blogs to be influenced by. It’s purely from experience. It doesn’t get any more “core” than this. His family, or him, probably have no idea that we’ve been spreading his letter around, and I don’t really have any intentions for it, but I sure hope it crosses paths with our friends over at Vans. I’m sure there’s tons of letters that come in daily, with requests for free handouts, but this one just seems to go above and beyond, and feels genuine.

Contact K.C. on Instagram @sadlandsforever

Complex.com: The Top 10 Vans Vault Releases Of All Time

Aug 5 13 under Articles, Heritage, History, Vault | Comments Off

Everyone’s favorite top-10 site has just created a new list depicting their opinion of the Top 10 Vans Vault releases of all time. Everyone should have their own top 10, but this one is a pretty good “rule of thumb” to go by, in terms of milestones for Vans Vault. As a collector of Vans, it’s easy to judge a shoe by it’s resell value, name attached, or limited availability, but like I mentioned, it’s just an opinion! Enjoy the article, and comment on your favorite top 10 Vans Vault releases!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

info via Complex