OG Made In USA Vans Breakers vs. Lowland 2.0 Breakers – Comparison Shots

Aug 23 24 under 31 Days of Vans, ComfyCush, Heritage, History, OTWS, Reviews, UTP, Van Doren, Vans Family, Vintage, Waffleheads | Comments Off

Here’s something I felt like you’d all appreciate! Here’s the inspiration for the Vans Lowland 2.0 Breakers. The OG Made in the USA Vans Breakers! Now, those deep into our Vans collecting community know about these, but some of you have never even heard of ’em. Rare and obscure. Consider yourself lucky to own a pair of the new version, if you got em.

Scroll to the end to see a few vids, including the original ad for the Vans Breakers, which I bought off eBay over 15 years ago and am so stoked to finally have a reason to share it.

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Vans – Lowland 2.0 Breakers (Waffleheads BBQ 2024 Friends & Family Exclusive!)

Aug 22 24 under 31 Days of Vans, ComfyCush, OTWS, UTP, Van Doren, Vans Family, Waffleheads | Comments Off

Vans Lowland ComfyCush 2.0 “Breakers”. Here they are peeps. The official pics of the shoe gifted to us by Steve Van Doren for this year’s 31 Days of Vans gathering at Vans HQ. To say I didn’t expect these, was an understatement, but I am thoroughly excited. The Vans Breakers that these were inspired by, have been sought after by Vans collectors for decades, but unobtainable due to their rarity and high prices. Consider yourself lucky to own these if you were lucky enough to be blessed by SVD!

Stay tuned for something cool I am working on in regards to these

Waffleheads – 31 Days of Vans Wrap-Up BBQ at Vans HQ! (8.15.24)

Aug 21 24 under Events, Friends, History, OTWS, UTP, Van Doren, Waffleheads | Comments Off

Well folks. Clayton and I managed to pull it off again. Not sure how, but Steve Van Doren graciously hosted another Waffleheads event at Vans HQ, to wrap up this year’s 31 Days of Vans. I am beyond grateful, and it’s humbling to see everyone come out and support us, most being my close friends and family, who I do acknowledge are there to support me, but they understand how important this is to me, and to my community of Vans nerds. I have converted many to Waffleheads, mainly through our love of sneakers, but I think my eVANSgelism is rubbing off on them, as they see just what our community is about, and the vibes we all have. How can you not love us? Also, a big shout out to everyone that had to travel, whether by plane or roadtrip. I know it’s not easy, or cheap, so I appreciate you. Sorry to those we couldn’t invite, but if you can somehow promise that you can attend next year, I will do my best to extend the invite. Shit, if we have to sell admission or pairs of the shoes, would you still be down?! I’m open to any options to keep this thing rolling FOREVER!

We’re all unique. We find our own paths within’ this growing community. We all come from different walks of life, and our demographic is a marketers worst nightmare (Ages 0 – 100+ jk!). We had babies less than one year old at the event, and we had quite a few folks with a lot of wisdom and knowledge under their belt as well! I was absolutely in awe at the family atmosphere we had, and you definitely felt the love. I really admire that we were able to represent for our “Vans Family” which is proof to be a real thing. To quote the late Paul Van Doren, “It was always about the people, and never about the product”. I hope that’s what everyone felt when they went home afterwards.

We had the honor and privilege to be around some great folks that evening. Steve Van Doren was the center piece to it all, and I’m glad he didn’t have to grill this time, and got to mingle and take pics with any and everyone who went up to him. Christian Hosoi was back again, which was just so dope. You have no idea. He’s one of my favorite skaters of all time. His Vans shoes are by far my favorite to collect, and boy does he got stories to tell. We love you Holmes! Rian Pozzebon was in the building again, this time just chilling and chopping it up about the good old days of Vans Syndicate, Vault, and the stuff our core collectors just eat up. Thank you for hanging with us afterwards at Salty Bear too, sir! Always a great time.

Steve ordered us a huge spread of BBQ and sides, and boy did it not disappoint! They provided beverages, including some beer and wine this time, which was a surprise. Not sure if they thought it was going to be a 21+ event or not, but sorry if they thought it was! For future reference, if we ever get invited back again, we can skip the alcohol if it means we get to bring back all the families. That’s number 1 on my priorities. But we thank Vans, and everyone they had on hand to help out. Kristy, Bob, and everyone else who we just don’t know on a personal level YET! We plan to, because we owe you a debt of gratitude as well. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Obviously, y’all have seen the shoe that Steve had made for us this year, which was a Lowland 2.0 model, heavily inspired by the original Vans Breakers from the Serio line of the 80’s, which were made for breakdancing. I was completely caught off guard with it, to be honest, but I personally knew the significance of the shoe, and what it was inspired by, but I was at first a little worried about what some would think of it. The Breakers are a Vans collector’s grail. They’re so damn obscure, and rare, and expensive on the resell market, so most will never own a pair. That is until now. Word is, these will be releasing later on, but not sure how, as our pairs are a Zero SKU project, aka Van Doren Approved collection, similar to other private projects he has done. Zero SKUs are gold to us! We will just have to wait and see, but I will create a separate post for just the shoe pics whenever I get around to it. Be patient!

All in all, I am just humbled. Completely filled with love and joy after an amazing and long weekend, filled with lots of hanging out, and endless sneaker talk. We also did our annual meetup on the following Saturday at Blends Costa Mesa, which is where this whole idea started 3 years ago. I posted up those pics too! Thank you again to everybody who came out to support, and I hope you thoroughly enjoyed yourselves. I am just happy that you came out to support me and mine. I love y’all! -Bill (Guamstyles)

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Waffle Heads Summit 2022 – Event Recap

Aug 10 22 under 31 Days of Vans, Events, OTWS, The Authentic Era, UTP, Waffleheads | 1 Comment

This past weekend was our 2nd annual Waffle Heads Summit, put together by Clayton, Ed, Joey, and I (Wearing Waffles, Strictly Waffles, and Under The Palms). While Eddie and Joey had to be there in spirit, due to prior engagements, Clayton and I still managed to hold down the fort, with a little bit of assistance from Renee, Tintin, my nephew Ray, and everyone else I’m failing to mention! We also cannot express our gratitude to Tak and Mike of Blends for allowing us an awesome space to host our gatherings at. Without them, this wouldn’t be an annual thing. Thank you so much guys!

Although the pics may not show it, we had a pretty good turnout throughout the afternoon. Mostly familiar faces, as well as a few new ones. We love to see it. Special shout-out to our buddy Greg, who showed up again this year, who only keeps up to date with us through our website, so Greg, if you’re reading this, leave a comment or email me, so we can keep you in the loop on a normal basis, and just to say hello!

Some folks had to dip out early and they missed out on a very special surprise. We received a special visit from our hero, Steve Van Doren! We were stoked…shocked…humbled. To be honest, I was a little sad that everyone who showed up earlier, wasn’t there to experience it. Hell, I was sad for everyone who couldn’t make it out this year! He spent about a good hour there with us. (It might’ve been 30 minutes, but it felt like an hour lol!). Telling stories about Vans, and going through his camera roll on his phone, showing us a bunch of top secret stuff. Upcoming projects; private projects; personal family pairs; etc. He was catering to the crowd for sure. He knew we were the sneaker fiends, and we were drooling over the stuff he was sharing. We may or may not have been sworn to secrecy. At least it sounds cooler that way, hehe.

Steve has the biggest heart. He’s exactly who you’d imagine him to be. He is the epitome of authenticity, and it’s no surprise he’s an inspiration to many, including me. As you know, he’s been busy for the past few weeks down in Huntington Beach, for the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, and if you follow him on social media, he’s not just out there sitting around and shaking hands. He’s working the booths. He’s grilling. He’s constantly on the move, all while trying to beat the brutal heat this past week. After a full Saturday of doing all that, he took time out to show up to our gathering, and chop it up about Vans. He even supported Blends and purchased a pair of Vaults! Extremely humbling, and his day wasn’t even over after that. He still had to go back to Vans HQ to do some more filming for another project! We’re not worthy to say the least. And of course none of this would’ve even happened if it weren’t for our friend Jason. Mahalo again bro. Seriously.

But wait, there’s more! Hehe, so if that wasn’t already a dream come true for us Vans nerds, you’ll be stoked to know that we just might get to host a gathering at Vans HQ next year, centered around our community. It’s all dependent on a few factors, like covid, other priorities, budget, etc., but we’re going to try and push hard to make this happen for us and y’all, so stay tuned! How cool would that be?! Man, we can’t wait. Until then, enjoy a few snapshots from this past weekend’s event, and do everything you can to make it out next year. You won’t want to miss it!

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Friendly Reminder: Waffle Heads Summit 2022 Is Tomorrow! (8.6.22)

Aug 5 22 under 31 Days of Vans, Events, OTWS, The Authentic Era, UTP, Waffleheads | Comments Off

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow is our 2nd annual Waffle Heads Summit, and this is our open invite to all Waffle Heads who can make it to SoCal! We’ll be gathering at our favorite Vans Vault dealer, and good friends of the Vans fam, over at Blends Costa Mesa. Show up around 2PM and hang with us. Order up some pizza from Kuro Artisanal Pizza, and maybe have a few brews with us afterwards at one of the local breweries, or just hang if you don’t drink. All ages welcome. Hope to see you all there!

Blends Costa Mesa, located inside the LAB Anti-mall at 2930 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

31 Days of Vans 2022 Is Almost Upon Us! #31daysofvans

Jun 28 22 under 31 Days of Vans, Events, Friends, Heritage, History, OTWS, UTP, Waffleheads, WDYWT | 72 Comments

It’s almost July, and you know what that means! Who’s ready for this year’s 31 Days of Vans celebration? We are. It’s exciting to look back at what our core Vans sneaker community has accomplished throughout the years, and the #31daysofvans social media campaign has really grown into it’s own little monster, complete with some amazing support from Vans, and specifically the Vans Family team. We have these folks to thank for last year’s Vans Family app exclusive release of the Red Half Cab, so we wanted to give them a special shout-out.

Well, we’re back at it again for Summer 2022, and we’ve been blessed with another cool Vans Family exclusive in celebration, (even though not quite specific) to “31 Days of Vans”. Now, if you’ve been paying attention to certain social media accounts, you may have seen this year’s shoe already. Vans is celebrating Tony Alva’s history with them, and have created a pretty dope, skate team inspired Authentic 44 DX. There’s also a matching long-sleeve graphic tee, so be on the lookout for these to drop sometime during the month of July!

I also can’t fail to mention this sick graphic, designed by our homie Kyle @iamrocketkyle & @poprocketcreations ! He always knocks these out of the park, and you will definitely see this being shared up on the Vans Family app again this year!!! That’s what’s up!

We can’t wait to see what everyone shows off this year, but just remember to Wear Vans, and Be Authentic!

Waffle Heads Summit 2022 (Saturday 8.6.22)

Jun 20 22 under Collaborations, Events, Friends, The Authentic Era, UTP, Waffleheads | 1 Comment

After last year’s inaugural Waffle Heads Summit, we decided to try and make it an annual thing, so here we are with an awesome announcement. We’ve decided on a date of Saturday August 6th around 2PM for this year’s get together, once again at Blends Costa Mesa. Open to anybody who wants to come and hang out and nerd out about Vans. This time, we’ll be able to support Blends owner Tak’s new venture, and enjoy some Kuro Pizza, as the location is finally open, so come hungry and buy his amazing pizzas! Don’t forget to show up in some dope Vans. We hope to see as many of you there, as possible!

For this year’s event, we decided to offer up the commemorative event tee online, since a lot of you are only able to be there in spirit. We took last year’s graphic, and had our Vans bro Todd Emerson @tmrsn add a little bit of pizza inspiration, and gave it a green and red half-tone treatment, and found an awesome off-white colored tee to complete the authentic vintage vibe we were going for. We’re also creating an event exclusive Under The Palms Sticker-Pak that will be included with each tee order. Highly collectible. Very limited. Pre-orders are now live for one week. If you’ve read this far, then congrats, here’s a promo code for 20% off of your order! Use code “UTPFRIENDS” at checkout. You can also choose to pick up at the event and save on shipping. Just mention it in your order comments and we’ll refund the shipping. WE WON’T BE SELLING THESE TEES ON SITE! Reading is key!

My Top 5 Vans of 2021

Jan 3 22 under Collaborations, OG, OTWS, Pro, Skate, UTP, Vans Family, Vault, VLT, Waffleheads | Comments Off

I haven’t done a top “X” list for a few, but since everyone’s got one this year, here’s my top 5 of 2021. With the exception of the jjjjounds, I’ve completed the sets for each of the packs featured, and that’s usually the indication that I really like that particular release. They’re all that good. In no particular order: Vault x Undefeated OG Old Skools; Vault x Bedwin & the Heartbreakers Pack; Vault x JSP Chukka 79 VLT LX’s; Vault x jjjjound OG Sk8-Mid LX’s; “31 Days of Vans” Skate Half Cab. All 🔥

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 Family – “31 Days of Vans” Skate Half Cab (UTP Review!)

Jul 15 21 under Accessories, Friends, Heritage, History, OTWS, Pro, Recent Pickups!, Reviews, Skate, UTP, Vans Family, Waffleheads | Comments Off

Here they are! One of the biggest surprise releases of the year. Something I got to be a part of, from the very beginning when it was just a conversation about how Vans could join in on the 31 Days of Vans month-long celebration, and just to be clear, I DID NOT DESIGN THESE, but I did get to have my input heard on if they were dope enough for our Vans collectors, and I also got to help with all the brainstorming on what else we should do, like add the dope enamel pin! So, as most of you know, these dropped the other day, exclusively on the Vans Family app, and sizes were pretty much sold out after a few hours. Maybe faster, since sometimes the site shows inventory, until you check out. Anyways, congrats to those who secured a pair, and this is more of a pic review, featuring my trusty ol iPhone for pics, which I must say are much nicer with an 11 Pro, than my old SE I was using for years. I really do need to do more of these UTP reviews. I’m sure some of y’all miss them.

Enjoy!

-Bill (Guamstyles)

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