Waffle Heads Summit 2022 – Event Recap

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

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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.

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

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 on My Top 5 Vans of 2021

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

 

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

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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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Vans – “31 Days of Vans” Half Cab (Vans Family Exclusive!)

Jul 12 21 under Heritage, History, OTWS, Skate, UTP, Vans App, Vans Family, Waffleheads | Comments Off on Vans – “31 Days of Vans” Half Cab (Vans Family Exclusive!)

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So this is something we’ve been secretly working on with Vans for about a year now as part of the all month long celebration of #31daysofvans.  When Vans originally approached me to talk about ways that Vans could officially join in on the fun, while fully acknowledging that this was community created, there was always a talk about maybe having a shoe made up that would be created with the collectors and Waffleheads in mind.  Something dope, and limited.  The Half Cab was the shoe of choice, as this is the 30th Anniversary of Steve Caballero’s signature shoe, and they delivered big time with this dope design.  (Now Kyle’s 31 Days Vans flyer makes more sense, right?!)  I’ve only seen mock-ups of the shoe, but never official pics, and I’m beyond stoked the way these came out.  The color.  The croc texture.  The freakin’ silver duct-tape lining!!  All these things pay homage to the Half Cab, in the most authentic way.  I’m sure Cabbie is proud of these.  There’s also a dope pin that is included with each purchase, of the actual Half Cab.  One other nice surprise, is that you can sign up for 200 pts. on the Vans Family app, for a chance to win a signed deck, by Stevie Cab, featuring his Cab Fink artwork on it.

Here’s the Vans caption:

“Calling all Waffleheads: this one’s for you! Celebrate 31 Days of Vans with this Half Cab, designed and made exclusively for the Fam. Originally released in 1992, the Half Cab represents an era of design innovation. Constructed by street skaters in the early 90s by cutting the collar off the original Vans Caballero pro model and creating the “lighter, better, faster” version of its predecessor, the signature shoe is a true icon.

In celebration of 31 Days of Vans, we’re bringing you an exclusive colorway of the revolutionary Half Cab in a heritage red with metallic silver collar lining to give a duct tape vibe, symbolizing its origins in street skateboarding. Every pair comes with an exclusive pin.”

Disclaimer, these are all but sold out by now, since they released earlier this morning, so this is more to heap praise on the Vans Family team who made all this happen, and to thank them for allowing me, and a few of my friends to join in and be a part of this.  We’re honored and I hope we get to do this again for years to come!

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31 Days of Vans Is Back for 2021! #31daysofvans

Jul 1 21 under Events, Friends, Heritage, History, OTWS, UTP, Waffleheads, WDYWT | Comments Off on 31 Days of Vans Is Back for 2021! #31daysofvans

Well, today’s July 1st, and you know what that means.  It’s time to kick off the annual #31daysofvans celebration. This year is a little bit different though, and that’s because we’re excited to announce that Vans, and in particular, the Vans Family team, are officially joining in, (and recognizing) our community-created celebration.  This has been something that’s been brewing for just over 2 years now.  Covid put a hold on all the plans we had started talking about, the first go around, but last year, I got to get together again with the Vans Family, to brainstorm and come up with some ideas on ways for Vans to get involved.  I was honored to represent the community, and I have the utmost respect for the way they approached it, understanding that this was something we had all created, and they weren’t trying to take anything away from that.  So with that being said, we threw a bunch of stuff at the wall, to see what stuck, and I’m not going to give away anything, but there’s some cool stuff they’re doing for it, so stay tuned for sure.  We’re beyond stoked.

I also wanted to give a huge huge huge shout-out to our Vans brother, Kyle Sliney, aka @iamrocketkyle for the sick artwork he always does for 31 Days of Vans, and if you haven’t noticed by now, Vans requested his artistic stylings, for an official banner graphic for the Vans Family app, and boy did he come through!  His artwork features a neon sign, complete with animation, including a Caballero model being chopped down to a Half Cab, nodding to the upcoming anniversary of the Half Cab, which we’ll be seeing more of through the year.  You can read about the full inspiration over on his IG post.  So awesome.  So proud of him.  Glad he got some official Vans shine!

For those of you who are new to our Vans community and not quite sure what this is.  Well, we invite you to share your favorite pair(s) of Vans with the rest of us.  Get creative.  We’ve seen folks post up the same shoe all 31 days, just to find out at the end, each pair was a different one, but all the same shoe, lol.  That was wild.  We also get to see a lot of stuff that most have forgotten about.  There’s no wrong way to do this.  Just share a pic, each day, preferably on-foot, and check out the campaign hashtag each night before you go to bed, to see all the cool pairs across the globe!

Rest In Peace Vans Co-Founder Paul Van Doren (1930-2021)

May 7 21 under Heritage, History, NEWS, Van Doren, Waffleheads | 3 Comments

This is pretty heavy news right here to wake up to this morning.  Vans co-founder Paul Van Doren, has passed away after being on this earth for 90 years.  This news comes just one week after the launch of his memoir, “Authentic“.  We have him to thank, for this awesome brand that has given us an identity, and a true sense of community.  Always reminding us to be authentic, and do things our own way, while remembering to make it about the people.  We will never lose sight of that.  Vans has created more opportunity for us, than anything else, and we ultimately have Paul Van Doren to thank for that.  We’ll always honor you, and your name lives on through your family, and through the extended Wafflehead family.  You will be missed, but never forgotten.  Thank you, Paul.

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