Solecollector Interview – Jon Warren and Rian Pozzebon Discuss the WTAPS x Vans Vault Collection

Aug 8 13 under Collaborations, Interviews, Vault | Comments Off

(Disclaimer: The colorway of the Sk8-Hi in the pic is a unreleased sample colorway!)

With the Vans Vault x WTAPS collection dropping tomorrow, I thought it would be nice to give a little insight on what this collaboration means, and what you should expect from the WTAPS brand, by way of Solecollector’s Brennan Williams‘ excellent interview with Vans Vault Head of Design – Jon Warren, and Senior Design Manager for Vans Syndicate – Rian Pozzebon. The interview discusses how they first linked up with Tet, founder of WTAPS, and how their long-standing relationship, first through Syndicate, and now through Vault, has forged along, creating hit after hit. The work ethic that Tet puts into his creations are unmatched, and his strive to learn the product and back story beforehand is unreal, and his slogan “Craft With Pride” comes from this ideal. After this read you’ll probably want to go out tomorrow and buy yourself a pair or two from this awesome release, so sorry if I ruined your plans of saving a little money! Big thanks to Brennan for giving me the heads up on this interview he did. Excellent job sir!

READ THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE

DQM For Vans – 10 Years of Vans Vault (Interview with Chris Keeffe)

Aug 1 13 under Interviews, Vault | Comments Off

DQM sat down with themselves for a brief interview on what Vans Vault means to them, and to reminisce a little bit about some of their favorite collabs from our favorite premium division of Vans. Head on over to the DQM The General blog, for a trip down memory lane with co-founder of DQM, Chris Keeffe.

Vans Syndicate 022.133 – Mike Hill of Alien Workshop (Exclusive @Silostore Interview)

Feb 18 13 under Collaborations, Interviews, Syndicate | Comments Off

OTWS’ connection with the skate, sneaker, and fashion industry we indirectly represent, wouldn’t be possible without a few key figures that we stay in close contact with and embrace, and Brant, owner of Silo skate shop in Nebraska, is hands down our #1 life line. Being a fellow Vans Syndicate fanatic and an early adopter of their lifestyle, we naturally crossed paths early on, and have a great customer relationship with each other. This same crossing of paths happened for him and Mike Hill, the Creative Director / Lead Designer of Alien Workshop, many moons ago, when a young Brant was just starting out, running his skateshop in his adolescence years. They share a common background, coming from the rural mid-west, and representing the core skater to the fullest. Brant waxes nostalgia about his style and progression for skateboarding maturing over time, and sharing his experiences with touring and demoing with AWS, and later on collaborating on many projects with them. Then, we get into the meat and potatoes of the article…the shoes! The upcoming Authentic Pro “S”, and Sk8-Hi Boot “S” are going to be a serious contender for “Vans of the year”, and we get a first look into the upcoming releases. Sit back, grab a cold one, and enjoy this superbly written article, by our friend Brant over on the Silo Feature.

OVERVIEW:

PROJECT: 022.133 / MIKE HILL

STYLE: SK8-HI BOOT “S”
COLOR: MIKE HILL / DARK GREEN / VANILLA
MTL #: VN-0SDU80P

RETAIL: $ 90.00

STYLE: AUTHENTIC PRO “S”
COLOR: MIKE HILL / MINT / VANILLA
MTL #: VN-0OZR8ON

RETAIL: $ 75.00

Summer, Canvas Authentic (all canvas lined)
Winter, leather SK8-HI boot (all pig skin leather lined)
Images of old paper machie board graphic footbeds and lining art
Vans original waffle gum tread

RELEASE DATE: MARCH 2013

Vans Syndicate 022.134 – Authentic 69 Pro “S” (Evolution of Product by @silostore)

Jan 12 13 under Interviews, Syndicate | Comments Off

It isn’t too often that we get a little bit of back story to the design process of most sneaker releases, especially with Vans. With the amount of shoes they release each season across each division, it’s no big deal to make a minor change here or there for business purposes, without losing a step, but that’s not the case with some Vans Syndicate shoes, where every detail gets tended to. OTWS members are fully aware of the amount of change a Syndicate release can go through from sample to production model, making them coveted by collectors. Case in point, are these Authentic 69 Pro “S” shoes. When the first pics surfaced of these, the first thing that caught our attention was the nylon heel pull strap, and right away the first comments were “I hope those make it to the production version”. Well, after trying a few other options for the heel of this shoe, including the OG heel strip with the vertical stitching, found on vintage Made in USA pairs of Authentics, they decided to go with the heel pull, which was perfect. This will set this pair apart from all of the other Authentics out there, and I’m sure these will not sit long on shelves.

Okay, well enough of my spiel. Our good friend Brant, owner and operator of Silo store in Nebraska, has been a Syndicate supporter since day one, and an OTWS supporter since it’s early inception, and he put together a nice feature over on his site, showcasing the evolution of the Authentic 69 Pro “S”, complete with high resolution product shots, and a great interview with Neal Shoemaker, one of Vans Syndicate’s awesome designers. Head on over to Silo’s page to read the article, and check out the pics after the jump!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE FEATURE

PROJECT: 022.134
STYLE: AUTHENTIC 69 PRO “S”
COLOR: RED / WHITE
MTL #: VN-0SDMY52

Added woven heel pull tab (a first for the Authentic)
Premium Pig Suede
Tone-on-tone checkerboard print (quarter panel)
DRi-LEX® moisture wicking lining throughout
Vans original waffle gum tread

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 2013
RETAIL: $ 75.00

Complex Mag: Jon Warren’s 25 Favorite Vans Sneakers of All Time

Sep 30 12 under Articles, Heritage, History, Interviews | Comments Off

Complex Mag is known for their top-whatever lists, and they’ve just published one that hits close to home for us Vans fanatics. They were able to get together with Jon Warren and have him knock out his top 25 Vans sneakers of all time. As I started reading through his picks, I soon realized that I had almost every pair he was naming off, and he was even being specific with colorways of certain models! But yeah, I’m sure if he wasn’t the head of footwear design over at Vans, he would be a fellow OTWS member, since his favorites are among most of ours as well. You’ll find a few Syndicates, Supremes, Vaults, Band series, and even a few GR classics sprinkled throughout this limited list. Head on over to Complex to read the article, and hear why he chose each and every shoe. It’s a great read!

See the article here!!!

Highsnobiety interview with Steve Van Doren

Sep 14 12 under Heritage, History, Interviews | Comments Off

Highsnobiety sat down with Mr. Steve Van Doren, the face of Vans today, while at the Vans Downtown Showdown Amsterdam event. They discuss briefly, the history of Vans, his involvement since day one, working with his dad, and he also shares a similar wish as I, to have Vans create special requests, and custom “bring your own fabric” one-offs here in the states, like they did up until 94. Imagine that?! People would go nuts. There’s a market for it now, with all the iD programs, and since it used to all be done here in Santa Ana, CA, we know it can be done. It must have something to do with the environment or something! Vans, look into that!!! Anyways, check out the interview over on Highsnobiety!

Hypebeast interview with Rian Pozzebon

Jul 10 12 under Interviews, Syndicate | Comments Off

Hypebeast recently had a chance to chat with Rian Pozzebon, the Senior Footwear Design Manager at Vans to learn about the roots of his design process, as well as the inspiration behind the premium Vans Syndicate line (an effort overseen with fellow Vans design head Jon Warren, as well as Humberto Lichtey and Tom Cooke). Naturally, there’s a great deal that goes into footwear design, but with the roots of skate culture firmly entrenched at Vans, it’s all about keeping clear perspectives, and clean slates.

Check out the short interview over on Hypebeast

Vans President Kevin Bailey On New LXVI Line, and Growth Strategy

Jun 20 12 under Articles, Interviews, LXVI | Comments Off

I’ve just read this interesting article over on Transworld Business, discussing Vans’ upcoming growth strategy to enter into the “Every-Day Action Sports Enthusiast” market with the LXVI line, dominated currently by Nike SB and Adidas Skateboarding. This particular consumer currently buys shoes that we’re all familiar with, such as the P. Rod Pro Model, Eric Koston Pro Model, Omar Salazar Pro Model, Busenitz, and so on. It’s an interesting move to say the least. It’s definitely not in our expertise to say what sells, because we’re all hype driven, or at least sub-brand driven with our Syndicates, Vaults, and collabs, so perhaps I should just leave it at that. What are your opinions on the LXVI (sixty-six) line? Check out the article over on Transworld Business, and learn more about why Vans decided to branch off into this category, during a time when I feel they are on top, and just getting better.

I also invite you to join in a great conversation we’re currently having on this topic, on our forums here. Sign up!

Bones Brigade Documentary (Video Teaser)

Feb 21 12 under History, Interviews, Videos | Comments Off

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!

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!

OVERVIEW:

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