Atiba Jefferson Named Vans “Brand Curator”

Apr 9 24 under Friends, Heritage, History, NEWS | Comments Off

When we found out that Vans had chosen Atiba Jefferson as a Brand Curator, we felt as if the skies had opened up to the heavens above. This is that big of a deal to us, as you can tell by this personal write-up. I couldn’t think of a better choice for this role of curating collaborations, connecting people, and guiding Vans’ progression in this new era of change. He’s been around the culture for longer than most of you kids. The culture, meaning all of it. Skate, streetwear, music, fashion in general, and there’s no better resume than having first-hand experience. I’m hoping he finds a way to connect us “old heads” to the newer generation, through dope story telling, and relevant collaborations. We’re looking forward to this, and we couldn’t be more stoked on the news (that’s obviously about a month old now lol, sorry!)

Under The Palms x LazyWORK – “Play Ball” Capsule Collection (Teaser!)

Aug 29 23 under Accessories, Apparel, Collaborations, Merchandise, NEWS, OTWS, UTP | Comments Off

Paying homage to America’s favorite pastime ⚾️, @lazywork and I have been hard at work, putting together a dope capsule collection for Under The Palms, and we hope you’re as stoked as we are!

I’m sure you recognize the inspiration for this graphic. One of our favorite players of our youth, who also had some of the sickest signature shoes in baseball.

Stay tuned all week, as we kick this collection off!

#lazywork #underthepalms #billybulldog #playball

Vans Skateboarding Celebrates Brooklyn’s Skate Community with a Special Block Party (10.1.22)

Sep 20 22 under Events, NEWS, Pro, Skate | Comments Off

Located in Brooklyn’s bustling Bushwick neighborhood, Vans’ Skate Space 198 is an NYC skater’s oasis that first opened its doors to the city’s skateboarding community in January 2020. Now, more than two and a half years later, Vans Skateboarding is celebrating Skate Space 198’s reopening with a three-day slate of festivities centered around a bangin’ block party on October 1. The Block party is a community gathering of creativity that spotlights the best of NY skateboarding, from Unity/There to Labor and KCDC skate shops to Alltimers Skateboards, Bronze 56k, and more.

On October 1, it all goes down at Skate Space 198 with a grand reopening party. Ten hours of open skate for any and all NYC shredders will be accompanied by DJ sets from Vans Skateboarding friends and family — John Cardiel, Ben Kadow, Rory Milanes, DeDe Lovelace, and Alex Dondero —plus appearances from Vans team members like Beatrice Domond, Dick Rizzo, and Justin Henry and art from Fernando Lions. Food and beverage stands will also be present, with 20% of all sales going to the Vans’ Checkerboard Fund and Stoked Mentoring to aid Skate Space 198’s winter skate programming. To close out the day, Alltimers Skateboards will premiere their latest video, ‘You Deserve It,’ supported by Vans Skateboarding.

Finally, on October 2, Quartersnacks will present “The Hangover,” a brunch-style event at Bushwick hot spot Vacations.

Vans Skate Space 198 is located at 198 Randolph Street in Brooklyn, New York, a 6-minute walk from the L train’s Jefferson Avenue stop. The block party will run from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM on October 1. More info on Vans Skate Space 198, its programming and its open skate hours going forward can be found at vans.com/skatespace198.

@VANSSKATE #VANSNYC

Vans Celebrates Grand Prize Winner and Runner Up Finalists in High School Custom Culture Competition

May 23 22 under Art, Contests, Customs, Heritage, NEWS | Comments Off

Moanalua High School has won $50,000 for their high school’s art program in the 13th annual Vans High School Custom Culture competition

Vans is thrilled to announce Moanalua High School as the winner of the 13th annual Vans Custom Culture competition and honoree of $50,000 for their school’s art program. The remaining four finalists, Central High School, Avella Jr. Sr. High School, Sisters High School, and Wrangell High School will also receive limited-edition Vans gifts and $15,000 to support their school art programs.

New this year, each of the top five schools will receive an artist mentorship lesson from one of Vans’ art ambassadors: Tony Whlgn, Sydney G. James, Jay Howell, Todd Francis, Mich Miller, Kelly Breez, Camilo Medina, Noah Humes, O.J. Hays, Tony Whlgn, Sara Yukiko Mon, and David Heo.

Finalists

Moanalua High School – Honolulu, HI

Wrangell High School – Wrangell, AK

Sisters High School – Sisters, OR

Avella Jr. Sr. High School – Avella, PA

Central High School – Knoxville, TN

To celebrate this incredible moment, students at Moanalua High School received a surprise party on their high school campus, including a special guest appearance from singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs to celebrate at the school’s campus.

“Moanalua’s graduation was this week. Knowing that I ended my senior year with this win… I’m really happy and I wanted to cry happy tears,” said Jaidalyn Kamaunu, a senior at Moanalua. “We worked nearly every day after school for about one to two hours a day. There were days on the weekends, we would dedicate a whole entire seven-hour workday just to work on the shoes,” noted another Moanalua student, 11th grader Dianne Cabico.

Thank you to our partners for empowering this competition, including Yoobi, Vans’ exclusive art supplies partner who provided gift cards to all the participating schools for them to purchase much-needed art supplies, Scholarship America for community-based scholarship programs, and Journeys, who awarded all participating students a gift card to their store in recognition of their accomplishments.

Vans Custom Culture has reached hundreds of thousands of students, continuing to show how impactful art programs are by donating over $1,110,000 USD back to high school art programs to date. Please visit Vans Custom Culture to learn how to register your school next year or follow us on social at @VansCustomCulture for design inspiration and how-to lessons from Vans art ambassadors.

pics after the jump

Vans Uplifts Voices Around Cause and Community Through “These Projects Are Ads For Creativity”

Feb 17 22 under Heritage, History, NEWS | Comments Off

Vans, the global icon of creative expression, is proud to enable a family of artists, creators, and originators to share their unique perspectives, creative process, and passion for the cause in this year’s artist-first brand campaign “These Projects Are Ads for Creativity.” Instead of employing a traditional ad campaign, Vans commissioned artists to go out into the world and bring their projects to life—from music videos and access to skateboarding to sculptures, paintings, and more.

In 2021, “These Projects Are Ads for Creativity” empowered over 60 global artists to present their projects to the world in honor of all the vast forms of art and the role it plays in our daily lives. This year, the campaign celebrates the diversity of creativity itself and honors the talented individuals behind the work. Featured ambassadors and projects show how creativity is used to celebrate purpose and uplift communities. Vans fans will take a deeper dive into artist inspiration, intention, and how creative expression can be used to shape reality. Today, Vans launches the first two installments of “These Projects Are Ads for Creativity” to uplift Black voices and communities.

“Since our inception, Vans has always been driven forward by creative culture. We found our place listening to skateboarders, musicians, and artists, to let them show us what creativity looks like from their vantage point,” said Carly Gomez, VP of Marketing, Vans Americas. “We believe creativity allows you to build what comes next – it’s a vehicle to channel your ideas into tangible forms of expression, experimentation, and meaningful moments.”

Follow Brooklyn-based nonprofit STOKED on its mission to help bridge education and opportunity gaps for underserved youth. They work with schools, organizations, and mentors to host after-school activities centered around sports culture, confidence building, and community bonding. They hosted a workshop to paint and assemble skateboards for the local community for this project.

Next up, RadKey is a groundbreaking American punk rock band from St. Joseph, Missouri, formed by three brothers: Isaiah, Solomon, and Dee Radke. They’ve worked alongside artists like Jack White and The Offspring and have toured a multitude of shows and festivals across the globe. For this project, they created a music video for their song P.A.W. where they look to challenge racial and social discrimination, shift perspectives, and spark a conversation.

Throughout the year, Vans will continue to uplift diverse creators and introduce new artists and partners to share their passion for cause and community. Stay tuned for a behind-the-scenes look at projects from The Linda Lindas, Serpentwithfeet, Surf Ghana, and more. Unveiled as a digital capstone of creativity, all of these art projects will come to life on Vans.com/OffTheWall throughout the year as an inspiring journey of discovery.

Explore the full campaign at Vans.com/OffTheWall, and join the conversation with Vans on social media by using #OffTheWall to share your own creativity story.

More than 18,000 Fans Across the World Celebrate #VansCheckerboardDay as Vans Donates Over $1M to Help Revitalize Local Communities

Dec 15 21 under Art, Events, Heritage, History, NEWS | Comments Off

Today, Vans, the original action sports brand and advocate for creative expression is proud to announce that with the help of over 20 non-profit partners, the brand was able to commemorate the third-annual Vans Checkerboard Day on November 18 by encouraging more than 18,000 fans to leverage creative self-expression to better our communities around the world through events and activities across art, action sports, music, and film.

Some of the regional activations included:

Colectivo Tomate worked with the Mexico City community to transform a skatepark, keeping the local skateboarding scene. The community also created a mural painting while enjoying art workshops and skateboarding showcases.
Sustainable Coastlines created an interactive art piece about plastic pollution with the community at Waikiki Beach, Hawaii while completing a beach cleanup.
Groundswell met at Middle School 664 in Brooklyn to create a mural and host a printmaking activation for kids and the local community.
JUJU and Surf Ghana hosted a variety of activations at Besua Beach in Ghana. Activities included a beach clean-up, free surf lessons, an art performance, film screening and custom culture workshop.
The Indigo Youth Movement brought together the Cape Town, South Africa community to complete a mural painting, participate in gardening and host a tie-dye workshop and kids skate lesson with the Vans team.
Hackney Bumps hosted an event at the new skate obstacle created by Concrete Commanders Betong Park and inspired by designs skaters in the community had submitted leading up to Vans Checkerboard Day. The event also included graffiti painting, giveaways, and a design submission showcase.
Girls in Film hosted its own mini film festival welcoming the community in London to meet fellow filmmakers and skateboarders including community screenings, industry discussions and a networking party.

To further this mission to drive positive change, more than $1 million was donated by Vans and The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation, to 15 regional charities and global partner DoSomething.org to support the mission of revitalizing communities around the world.

“Now almost two years into a global pandemic, community connectivity and public spaces have been in direct need of support,” says Doug Palladini, Vans Global Brand President. “As a brand that champions the power of creativity, it was important for us to utilize our third annual Vans Checkerboard Day as not just our biggest philanthropic moment of the year but to proactively take action through creative endeavors that drive positive change all around us. Whether fans participated in regional events, the TikTok challenge or showed support for the movement by wearing the Checkerboard pattern, each individual reinforced that we stand for something that makes the world a better place.”

This year’s global partners were GoodPush, Groundswell, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Colectivo Tomate, Nations Skate Youth, Dignity for Children, Another Way of Seeing, ArtDream, Skateboard Academy, Hackney Bumps, Juju Surf Club, Indigo Youth Movement, Girls in Film, Jukebox Collective and The Hub. Each of the 15 regional partners received $50,000 USD from The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation or via a direct donation from Vans to continue their impact. Vans also donated $250,000 to its global partner DoSomething.org, with $25,000 going toward scholarships.

Vans Fans donated a total of 5 million of their own Vans Family points through the Vans app to raise an additional $25,000 for DoSomething.org scholarships and shared how they sported their checkerboard and supported their community on November 18 through the #VansCheckerboardDay challenge on TikTok which garnered over 11 billion video views.

Since the inception of Vans Checkerboard Day in 2019, Vans has donated more than $3 million to creative charities globally, enabling creative expression in communities around the world. Vans believes that creativity is an essential part of being human and that everyone should be able to express themselves through the unique mediums that come from action sports, art, music and street culture. The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation was established to support Vans’ ability to provide monetary support to nonprofit organizations that provide the skills, support and opportunities needed to build a more equitable society where all have the opportunity to realize their creative potential. Organizations can visit www.vans.com/checkerboardday to learn more.

Vans Champions Community & Creativity on 3rd Annual Vans Checkerboard Day (11.18.21)

Oct 19 21 under Events, Heritage, History, NEWS, Waffleheads | Comments Off

Vans, the original action sports brand and advocate for creative expression, is bringing the Vans Family together to rebuild and revitalize communities across the world in honor of Vans Checkerboard Day on November 18, 2021. This year, Vans will partner with DoSomething.org, global non-profit whose core competency is driving young people to take action at scale, to invite fans to participate in local and digital activations that help build vibrant, inclusive and rejuvenated public spaces through arts and culture.

“Research shows that art and creative expression are not only proven to benefit an individual’s academic, physical and mental well-being, but uplift and improve entire communities, especially when shared in public spaces,” says Doug Palladini, Vans Global Brand President. “Many of our local community and public spaces have been somewhat neglected since March 2020. As a champion for the power of creativity, we’re encouraging Vans fans to join us this Vans Checkerboard Day in being a part of activities and initiatives that showcase how creativity truly revitalizes our communities.”

As the brand’s single largest philanthropic initiative, Vans will support 16 charities from around the world who share a mission of revitalizing public spaces through arts, sports, culture and social impact programming by donating a collective $1 million USD. Each regional organization will receive $50,000 USD from The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation or via a direct donation from Vans to use towards their organization’s mission to continue their work around the world to build vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming spaces to support their local communities. Additionally, as the 2021 global partner, DoSomething.org will receive $250,000 USD as they continue to encourage young people to act in their communities, with $25,000 USD of this directly benefiting youth scholarships. This year’s recipients are: GoodPush, Groundswell, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Colectivo Tomate, Nations Skate Youth, Dignity for Children, Another Way of Seeing, ArtDream, Skateboard Academy, Hackney Bumps, Juju Surf Club, Indigo Youth Movement, Girls in Film, Jukebox Collective and The Hub.

Vans Checkerboard Day 2021 will reinforce that Together Makes It Better by inviting fans to participate in local and digital activations that help build vibrant, inclusive and rejuvenated public spaces through arts and culture.

“Uplifting communities through the power of creativity is a value shared by Vans and DoSomething’s 5 million members,” said DeNora Getachew, Chief Executive Officer of DoSomething.org. “We’re excited to partner with Vans to activate DoSomething members to join with communities across the world for Vans Checkerboard Day. Their generous donation will provide young people with scholarships towards their college, university, or vocational program’s costs. It’ll also fuel DoSomething’s civic volunteerism hub through which young people take action on social issues important to themselves and their community.”

Leading up to November 18, Vans will rally global fans to participate in a variety of initiatives focused on getting involved in community action. Activations include:

Vans.com/checkerboardday will serve as a directory of action in partnership with DoSomething.org so fans can join community events in their local city or participate in a variety of digital activations.
The #VansCheckerboardDay TikTok Challenge will share inspiring community projects, ways to sport your checkerboard pattern and tips for joining in on the celebration featuring Vans ambassadors on what community revitalization and creativity means to them.
On top of the $1 million of support by Vans, fans across the world will also have the ability to support the 15 regional charities by helping to raise additional donations. They can do so through the Vans Family app by donating loyalty points in support for a monetary donation. 100 percent of proceeds will be donated to The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation.

Since the inception in 2019, Vans Checkerboard Day has helped raise more than $2 million for nonprofits across the world, supporting creativity, mental wellness, and community engagement. Vans Checkerboard Day is celebrated annually to bring the Vans ethos of celebrating creative expression to life globally, rallying internal stakeholders, the extended Vans family and global consumers to come together around the world to experience why creativity matters and fund charities focused on uplifting creativity.

Visit Vans.com/checkerboardday to discover local meetups in your area, ways to participate in virtual events and activations or learn more about the participating charities and donate. Fans can also follow Vans on social media to participate and follow #VansCheckerboardDay on TikTok to join in.

Vans Launches “Vans World” Skatepark Experience in the Roblox Metaverse

Sep 1 21 under Collaborations, Events, Kids, NEWS, Skate | Comments Off

Roblox, a global platform bringing millions of people together through shared experiences, and Vans^®, the original action sports brand and global icon for creative expression, today announced the launch of “Vans World,” an interactive experience created by Vans on Roblox. With the launch of this exclusive new experience, Vans is the first brand to bring skateboarding, fashion, and community together in one experience, providing fans with the Vans shoe customizer to create their own unique style, and full skate shop to build their perfect board. Four Vans silhouettes will be available for fans to customize, purchase, and wear in the experience.

Vans World will serve as a persistent 3D space where fans can practice their ollies and kickflips with friends, and try-on and acquire exclusive Vans gear directly in the experience. This is the brand’s first venture into the metaverse.

Inspired by the brand’s signature locations such as House of Vans, the Vans Off The Wall Skatepark in CA, owned retail shop environments and revered skate destinations from all over the globe, Vans Vice President of Global Integrated Marketing Nick Street said: “Individual expression is deeply embedded in skate culture, and Vans has been supporting and enabling this exact type of creativity for more than 50 years. With the Vans World experience on Roblox, we are empowering creative expression in the digital world, bridging the gap between virtual and real-world fashion and sports in an accessible, inclusive way. Vans is a global icon and advocate for youth culture, and we’re thrilled to bring this authentic brand experience to the millions of Vans enthusiasts where they are — on Roblox.”

The Vans World experience, including the brand’s featured skate shoes, was created by Vans in partnership with Roblox community developers The Gang Stockholm. Roblox’s recently augmented physics layer, which is now available to all developers, helps achieve the true sensation of skating for Vans. The skating physics require vector operations and raycasting that would not have been possible without the incremental engine improvements that are a constant at Roblox. A preview of the experience can be found here.

“Vans is showcasing its commitment to empowering self-expression with Vans World,” said Christina Wootton, Vice President of Brand Partnerships for Roblox, “By leveraging cutting edge technology and partnering with the Roblox developer community to build this 3D experience, Vans is bringing brand enthusiasts together in an authentic and interactive way.”

With access to millions of people in the Roblox metaverse, brands can reach fans and attract new ones in completely immersive ways while simultaneously monetizing their brands in the metaverse. Whether pushing creative boundaries, exploring sustainable fashion, or melding the physical and virtual in an immersive, 3D runway, Roblox provides brands an unparalleled space where everyone can express themselves in a unique way.

Discover more at Roblox.com/vans

Vans Opens 2021 Submissions for its “Musicians Wanted” Competition, Uplifting Emerging Global Artists with a Chance to Share the Stage with YUNGBLUD

Jul 7 21 under Bands, Contests, NEWS | Comments Off

Aspiring Musicians Across All Genres from the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific Regions Can Enter for a Chance to Vans product, Kramer gear, a Premium TuneCore prize pack, Global Music Distribution, Spotify playlisting and more!

Submit Your Original Music Now at Vans.com/musicianswanted

Vans, the original action sports brand and global icon for creative self-expression, are opening submissions for its praised 2021 Vans Musicians Wanted competition. Launched worldwide for the first time in 2020 as a digital contest, Vans Musicians Wanted is the brand’s global music program, providing a stage for up and coming musicians just starting out. The contest series celebrates fresh, new and “Off The Wall” talent from all genres.

For 2021, participating regions will provide undiscovered artists the opportunity to gain international exposure and a chance to share the stage with the tongue-in-chic, genre-bending British rocker, YUNGBLUD. Additional prizes include Vans product, Kramer gear, a premium TuneCore prize pack including global music distribution, Spotify playlisting and more!

The 2020 Vans Musicians Wanted platform saw over 22,000 artist submissions across nearly every music genre from musicians around the world. Drawing off this epic success, the digital music platform continues to curate and build brand experiences that are accessible – allowing fans anywhere to participate through digital submission and virtual contest series on a global scale. Through the interactive website, artists from the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe and Asia-Pacific shared their original music with a broad-reaching audience. Last year’s winners included JoeJas hailing from the UK, Lucia Tacchetti from Argentina and numnum from Korea.

A diverse cast of judges will be joining the brand as part of the selection process including multi-talented rapper, writer and comic book artist, Denzel Curry who is featured in the brand’s latest brand campaign, Grammy nominated pop singer and songwriter, Julia Michaels, creative visionary and founder of 88rising, Sean Miyashiro and US and UK Billboard charting artist, YUNGBLUD. The top five finalists from each region will be chosen to perform at the Vans Musicians Wanted virtual concert series, to be held this September. Additionally, regional grand prize winners will be selected to receive Vans product, Kramer gear, global music distribution, Spotify and Apple Music playlisting and the opportunity to share the stage with YUNGBLUD in front of live audiences as the opening act in 2022.

Vans Musicians Wanted is an inclusive global platform that enables creative self-expression through music and helps to provide a direct path for undiscovered artists to emerge and gain global exposure. To enter your original music and read the official contest rules and regulations, please visit Vans.com/musicianswanted.

Vans Partners with Global Non-Profit, Tony Hawk and Olympic Skaters for Epic Celebration of Skate Community

Jun 21 21 under Collaborations, Customs, Events, General Release, Heritage, History, Kids, NEWS | Comments Off

Vans – the undeniable leader in skateboarding for over 50 years – will be launching a global campaign ahead of skateboarding’s Olympic debut, highlighting the things that make skateboarding great.

Since the beginning, Vans has celebrated the creative culture of skateboarding and the individual self-expression it embodies through listening, empowering and showcasing local communities driving skate culture around the world. This summer’s campaign, “No Matter How Big Skateboarding Gets, Never Forget Where it Starts,” highlights what makes skateboarding so special…the streets, skateparks, backyard pools and communities that built skate from the very beginning.

For this campaign, Vans is partnering with award-winning international non-profit Skateistan, who empowers children through skateboarding and education in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa and skateboarding’s biggest legend and Skateistan ambassador, Tony Hawk. The campaign will also feature Olympic skaters Lizzie Armanto (FIN) and Pedro Barros (BRA) who will have featured videos during the campaign.

In the spirit of celebrating the creativity in skateboarding, Vans ambassadors will also be building their own Vans Skate Classic Customs and Vans is encouraging fans to do the same. This summer $10 from every pair of Vans Skate Customs up to $200k, will go to Skateistan to benefit skate communities globally. Vans Fans can also donate at Vans.com/skateistan and Vans.com/customs.

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