Vans x 8Five2 – Sk85ive2 Half Cab 20th Anniversary (Event Recap)

Jun 15 12 under Events, Heritage, History, Hong Kong | Comments Off on Vans x 8Five2 – Sk85ive2 Half Cab 20th Anniversary (Event Recap)

Photography and words via Hypebeast:

“In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Steve Caballero’s storied Half Cab shoe, Vans has been celebrating the occasion with an assortment of events and special releases throughout the year. Taking place at the recently launched Sk85ive2 indoor skatepark in Hong Kong, Vans celebrated the milestone with a special event this past weekend. Featuring the usual suspects – drinks, waffle soles and skateboarding, the event also showcased four new Half Cab iterations that will be steadily rolled out beginning this month through September 2012. The new Half Cab styles were initiated by “Cab” himself in which the iconic skateboarder tapped a few of his favorite artists to appropriate their own take on the signature shoe. While more information will be forthcoming on the specifics releases, a special Caballero-designed style was on display and originally unveiled via the Hypebeast Instagram here. The pair is mocked up in a buttery suede upper, set atop a pure white outsole and features custom designed Caballero art on the side panel and tongue tag.”

Mmmm waffles…

Check out a few more pics after the jump Read More

Vans – Van Doren Collection (Available @silostore)

Jun 13 12 under General Release, Heritage, History | Comments Off on Vans – Van Doren Collection (Available @silostore)

Just as a reminder, if you haven’t been able to find the Van Doren Collection in your local area, then hit up our good friend Brant over at Silo.  He’s got all the styles you want.  You know you want those Teal Sk8-Hi’s and Striped Era’s!  Sk8-Hi’s are priced at a reasonable $65, and the Era’s at $55.

SILO

201 north locust st
grand island NE 68801
(308) 395-8987

contact@silostore.com

HOURS:
M-F: 1-7PM
SAT: 11-5PM
SUN: DAY OF REST

Style Profile: “Vintage” Vans Style #37 (by theothersideofthepillow @pillowHeat)

Jun 7 12 under Articles, Heritage, History, Vintage | Comments Off on Style Profile: “Vintage” Vans Style #37 (by theothersideofthepillow @pillowHeat)

This is sort of one of those “keep you up to date” posts.  OTWS has been doing it’s thing for a few years now, but as you can imagine, being that we’re a pretty centralized site, focusing on just Vans, the early newcomers and members were those in the know, and those who might call themselves fanatics.  Case in point, OTWS friend Wayne, who owns and operates a shop across the pond in the UK called “The Other Side of the Pillow”.  Wayne searches out all things vintage.  With a knack for digging up vintage gold, he comes across rare eyeglasses, clothing, and you guessed it, Vans.  His collection of rare, and non-existent “Made in the USA” Vans and Van Doren Rubber Co. sneakers are astonishing.  And he keeps finding more!!!  Vans are so simple to make, and the styles are as such, that they can pump out endless designs, limited runs, collaborations, and rare exclusives, as if they were printing t-shirts.  This is what makes collecting Vans so fun, and in his case, vintage Vans.  There are so many out there, that there’s almost no way of documenting every single pair.  There’s always going to be pairs that we don’t know about, or have never seen.

I wanted you newer followers and members of OTWS to meet this fellow, and check out what he’s got going on, because there’s nobody else doing what he does.  He’s the link to the past that we don’t have with Vans, and hopefully some of you enjoy and appreciate what he does.  Some people only wear the “Made in the USA” Vans, and hopefully he can help you source whatever it is you’re looking for.  Had a pair as a kid that you can’t find?  Check him out, and see if he can help!

Wayne recently wrote up an article, regarding the Style #37, which was originally designated for the shoe we know as the Mid-Skool ’77.  Turns out, that style# had a little bit of an identity crisis throughout the years, and somehow it got mixed up with a Native American, and the Sk8-Mid.  It’s a pretty neat story, so go and check it out over on his site, and while you’re there, click around, and see some of his older posts, and check out what he’s currently got for sale.  You might find something you like!  Keep up the great work Wayne, and I hope you get a few new followers from this post!

Check out the story on the Vans Style #37  -> HERE.

Vans – Half Cab Pro “20th Anniversary” – Mofo (June 2012)

Jun 5 12 under Collaborations, General Release, Heritage, History | Comments Off on Vans – Half Cab Pro “20th Anniversary” – Mofo (June 2012)

It’s a new month, and that means it’s time to see the next Half Cab to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the beloved shoe, created by legend himself, Steve Caballero.  For June, we start getting into the artist series, co-designed by respected artists, and photographers, like this pair designed by Mörizen Föche, better known as Mofo.  If you’ve never heard of him before, then it may be interesting to know that he was one of the guys who started Thrasher Magazine, taking on the responsibilities of photographer, photo editor, and graphic designer.  The reason he was given the opportunity to design one of the few 20th Anniversary Half Cab’s is because, well, you see that iconic Half Cab silhouette on the side and tongue of every pair you have?  That’s Steve Caballero.  Oh, and that was taken from an original photo that MoFo shot, so yeah, he had a major part in the shoe’s iconic “image”.  Literally.

The shoe is constructed entirely in black suede, while sitting on top of a white vulcanized sole with black foxing stripe.  Being that this is a Pro model, it features the Duracap reinforced toe, and the removable padded sock liner.  For this release, we get to see the new Pro heel tab utilized, which is a small, but awesome new feature.  The Half Cab logos were given a more photo-like appearance, to commemorate MoFo, and his contribution to the skateboarding world.  This is an awesome tribute, and I’m looking forward to see the rest as the year moves on!  These are now starting to show up at your local Vans stores, and select Vans accounts. 

You can purchase them after the jump by clicking on the picture.

info via FreshNGood

more pics after the jump Read More

Vans – Van Doren Series “Limited Edition” (Fall 2012)

May 15 12 under General Release, Heritage, History | Comments Off on Vans – Van Doren Series “Limited Edition” (Fall 2012)

We’ve been teased by this release for awhile now, and we can finally show you some official pictures from the Van Doren Series, that will be out this Fall. This special, limited edition release, takes cues from the early years with Vans, back then known as the Van Doren Rubber company. By utilizing a stonewashed canvas, they have achieved a vintage look, using some of their classic prints, that we’ve previously seen in the Pro and Vault series, such as the Aloha Flowers, and Aloha Parrot prints. They chose to utilize the classics here: The Sk8-Hi, Era, and Slip-On, each sitting on top of the classic all white sole, and featuring the classic “Van Doren” heel tab. These should be hitting select Vans dealers now.

info via FreshNGood

tons more pics after the jump

Read More

Vintage Vans BMX Ad – 13 (via ClassicKicks)

Apr 25 12 under Ads, History, Vintage | Comments Off on Vintage Vans BMX Ad – 13 (via ClassicKicks)

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted up one of the many vintage classic Vans ads I came across over on ClassicKicks.  If you want to see all of the prior posts, then just search “Vintage Vans BMX Ad” up in the top right corner, and it will list all of the past posts!  Enjoy!

Vans Syndicate Presents: TWENTY (A Photo Exhibition)

Apr 6 12 under Events, Heritage, History, Syndicate | Comments Off on Vans Syndicate Presents: TWENTY (A Photo Exhibition)

Words via Vans Syndicate:

“Curated by Lance Dawes, the iconic images of “TWENTY” showcase the ever-changing face of skateboarding over the course of two decades as quietly witnessed by one persistent and enduring time traveler. Vans Syndicate celebrates twenty years of the Half Cab shoe with a selection of photographs of some of the world’s greatest skateboarders wearing the world’s greatest skateboard shoe as captured over the years by some of the world’s greatest skateboard photographers.”

April 14 to 19, 2012
Vans Syndicate ‘TWENTY’ Photo-Exhibition 
New Image Art
7920 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
(323) 654-2192

info via FreshNGood

Vans x Supreme MC “Mike Carroll” Comparison (by @jacobmontana)

Mar 28 12 under Collaborations, Heritage, History, Reviews, Supreme, Vintage | Comments Off on Vans x Supreme MC “Mike Carroll” Comparison (by @jacobmontana)

OTWS member jacobmontana is the unofficial spokesperson for the Mike Carroll signature Vans shoe.  He has somehow amassed every single original colorway of the OG, “made in the USA” models, and when Supreme released the MC last year, you can imagine the backflipping and fist pumps that were going on in front of his computer when he got the news.  Well, fast forward to two weeks ago, and another surprise MC release was dropped on us, this time in a few OG colorways, as well as some more current, “Supreme-esque” colors.  Perhaps that’s why this release sold much more quickly.  Who am I kidding?  It’s because of the Supremies!  (copyrighted…jk).  Well enough of that.  Jacobmontana has taken some time out to give us a quick comparison of the OG and the Supreme version.  The first thing you may notice, is the shape.  I guess Vans didn’t have an original to work with, because the material overlap, and the stitching seem to not really match.  It’s as if it was reconstructed based off of photos or a drawing.  It’s close, but no cigar!  Of course, the vulcanized rubber is different as well, since the originals were crafted in the USA and a different rubber compound was utilized back then.  For the most part, that’s it.  I’m still grateful that we get to even own a “retro” if you will, of one of the most sought after OG Vans, and it’s all thanks to Supreme and Vans.  Big thanks to jacobmontana for sharing some pics for all of us!

more pics after the jump Read More

Vans x Supreme – MC “Mike Carroll signature” Nubuck (Review!)

Mar 23 12 under Collaborations, History, Recent Pickups!, Reviews, Supreme | Comments Off on Vans x Supreme – MC “Mike Carroll signature” Nubuck (Review!)

It has been a long damn time since I’ve given a Vans sneaker review.  I wish I had a great excuse, but I don’t.  Perhaps it’s been the lack of new pickups lately.  Perhaps it’s because there hasn’t been a release in awhile, worthy of one.  Who knows?  Well I’m proud to announce that all of my hard earned money, was spent on all four colorways of the latest Supreme x Vans drop!  What?  Is that a surprise?  It’s Supreme…they don’t need to hook anybody up with stuff.  I mean, they hook up friends, but let’s just say that that’s a pretty small circle that many would give their left nut to be in.  Me on the other hand, I just love Vans, and I love OTWS.  I don’t necessarily love you guys, but I do like you guys, and that’s why I spend time keeping you all informed about all things Vans!  You stay interested in Vans, and I’ll stay interested in providing info for you all.  Deal?  Deal.

Anyways, here’s the latest Supreme collaboration with Vans.  This release blindsided everybody in our Vans community, because we were expecting a few other releases that matched the apparel from this season.  The majority of us were stoked to see that Supreme had designed another set of Mike Carroll’s, this time using suede nubuck as the material of choice, and offering them up in some more traditional Supreme colorways: Black, White, Red, and Blue.  They’re perfect…well except for one major gripe from me.  The ankle collar padding!  What’s with the cardboard-like stiffness huh?  Is this going to be the new standard?  It’s the same padding that is being used on the 20th Anniversary Half Cabs in case you need a comparison.  It feels sort of like there’s some type of memory foam in there, but I’m still skeptical that there’s any technological benefit to it, and that it’s rather just a cheaper production method.  I would like an explanation please!  That’s my only real issue with the shoe.  Other than that, the shoe is great.  Even the softness of the colors are fine with me.  The press pics from Supreme shown these as being a deep red, and blue, but my detailed high-res pics will let you be the judge of that.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read my review, and if you can, please follow us on twitter @offthewallsite, and like our facebook page, which can be found if you scroll down along the right column of this page.  Hope you enjoy what we’re doing over here!

–Guamstyles

tons more pics after the jump! Read More

Bones Brigade Documentary (Video Teaser)

Feb 21 12 under History, Interviews, Videos | Comments Off on Bones Brigade Documentary (Video Teaser)

OK, don’t beat me up for posting something not directly related to Vans, but in a way this is directly related to Vans.  Stacy Peralta, one of the OG Z-Boys, and now famous documentary director, brings to us a new skateboarding documentary about the Bones Brigade of the 80s.  The Bones Brigade are the most legendary group of skaters in all skate history, comprised of some of the best vert skaters to ever exist, sponsored by Powell Peralta.  Pro skaters like Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Tommy Guerrero, Ray Barbee, and others all belonged to this team at one time in their career.  Vans recognizes the legends, and most of those names I’ve just mentioned are all sponsored by Vans til today, and have signature shoes as well.  I’m a huge documentary fan, and a nostalgia buff, so I can’t wait for this film to hit theatres.  Until then, check out this trailer!

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