Black colorway
Blue / Marshmallow colorway
The Vault by Vans x Off The Hook “Varsity Pack” release is just a few days away, and as we near the end of the year, I start to think back on all of the releases that stood out, and I’ve already made up my mind that these will be in my top 5. That’s a bold statement, but I’m confident I won’t be changing my mind. One close look at the craftsmanship on this pack, and you just might have to agree with me. Both are equally exceptional, and when tasked with designing two totally opposite silhouettes, it can be difficult to give them both a unique identity, without having them look like some horrible set of twins. Think of Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger! Huh? What? Ok bad analogy. What I mean to say, is that these are more like a pair of good looking siblings, featuring both the awesome wool and premium leather traits that their designers came up with, but in their own unique way.
The Authentic is known for having a lot of open space up in the toe area, a perfect place to showcase the fine wool material, in all it’s nappy gray glory. The dark pebbled leather wraps the entire back half of the shoe, completing the varsity jacket aesthetic, and the brown leather accents contrast nicely. They finish off with high-quality red waxed round laces. Square leather laces are also included.
For the Sk8-Hi 46 LX, the premium brown leather steals the spotlight. The Sk8-Hi 46 utilizes a unique two-piece toe box construction, which I assume was for a more durable, work-wear type of shoe. We’ve seen it used before, particularly on the Vault Schaffer Pack, and the added panel and stitching helps add some depth to this shoe’s design, as well as draws more attention to the perfectly tanned leather. The details don’t stop there. For the back half of the shoe, the same wool and pebbled leather combination can be found on the outer panel, and is “flipped” on the inside panel of each shoe, which is dope and allows everyone to see all of the different materials chosen for this shoe, from just about any angle. These are finished off nicely with squared leather laces, and comes with the red round waxed laces as well.
These are a thing of beauty, and I do hope you don’t hesitate to pick these up. They won’t last long. The Authentic ($95 CAD) and Sk8-Hi ($135 CAD) will be available in limited quantity on Saturday, October 25th at 10AM in store and 12PM in the online store (Eastern time).
tons more pics after the jump Read More
Video and photo credit: Betaphats Studios
Some info about NOW OR NEVER
In the world of sneakers, customization has always been present. People have this need to put their personal touch on them. Sometimes it’s as simple as swapping out laces. Sometimes it’s as complex as taking apart an entire shoe, and reconstructing it with an entirely different material. There are many who are making a name for themselves in this growing custom sneaker culture, but only a handful have been able to successfully get their artistic creations reproduced by a major brand, and when you look back at all of the shoes of this genre, you have to show respect where respect’s due, and that’s with our friend here, Mark Ong, aka Sabotage. His claim to fame, is of course the Royalefam Nike SB Dunk Low aka “Sabotage Dunk”, one of my all-time favorites, but he’s also helped create some other successful releases for the likes of New Balance, DC, a custom pair of Nike’s for Kobe Bryant, and the list goes on and on. He’s always been into the punk scene, and grew up skateboarding in Singapore, so naturally, you’d think he would’ve already done some work with Vans, right? Well, no he hasn’t, and we hope that we can help get something setup for him real soon, or at least with us, on some custom project of some sort! Which leads me to our exclusive interview we have obtained with him. Being able to get closer to his roots in skate and punk rock, Mark has decided to switch his focus to Vans sneakers. He’s always worn them, but he’s sort of been loyal to the athletic sports brands that he’s been lucky to collaborate with over the years. Mark thought it was important to first reach out to the true base of Vans fans. Those who give a fuck about what he’s doing, and those who get it. Well, he’s come to the right place, and we’ve officially converted him to the dark side!
Enjoy the conversation we had a few days back, and check out the awesome video that him and NON Beijing created for this collaborative project above.
(interview starts after the jump)
tmrsn – All Nations Skate Jam x Pendleton – Slip-On “Navy/Gum”
more entries after the jump Read More
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