LBIFBACK was one of the lucky few to score a pair of the “31 Days of Vans” Skate Half Cabs that surprise dropped this past week, and he wasted no time in getting us one of his professional video reviews on them. I had spoken with him a little while before filming, to provide him with a little bit of how this project came about, and what small role I had played in all of it. I don’t take any credit for the shoe, and especially the design of it, hehe, but I will accept that I spoke on behalf of everyone in our Vans sneaker community, that we wanted this to happen. I think the proof is in the selling out in most popular sizes, within about an hour or so, and only about 3 pairs showing up on eBay. That’s the true testament. People aren’t going to be giving these things up easily, cause they know these were made for us. For you all. Thanks for the shout-out Daniel, appreciate you brotha’. Check out his proper review, and leave a comment on his channel.
A$AP Rocky and Vans come together to bring the White Old Skool Shoes to your fire fit. The classic low-profile shoes get updated with contrast stitching and flame details at the sides and sole. It keeps the iconic Vans contrast stripe with the signature rubber waffle outsole. Available now, exclusively from Pac Sun.
- Durable canvas and suede uppers
- Low-profile show
- Lace front closure
- Vans branding
- Metal eyelets
- Contrast stitching
- Flame details
- Vans x A$AP Worldwide label on tongue
- Padded tongue and lining
- Signature rubber waffle outsole
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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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Info via Hypebeast:
“Japanese label BEDWIN & THE HEARTBREAKERS has debuted a new collaboration with Vault by Vans, introducing new takes on the Authentic and Old Skool silhouettes. Continuing the label’s Americana and West Coast influence, the capsule is heavily inspired by heritage textiles, with vintage made-in-USA bandanas used throughout the collaboration.
The two silhouettes prominently feature these bandanas, each of which is cut at different seams to showcase the collection’s craftsmanship and to ensure no two pairs are identical. The Authentic silhouette arrives in three different bandana colorways, complete with a red foxing stripe and red “Off The Wall” heel logo.
For the Old Skool, BEDWIN & THE HEARTBREAKERS and Vault by Vans have honored its history as the first shoe to ever sport the signature sidestripe. The silhouette is constructed from a mix of rich blue canvas and suede, which acts as a base for the bandana detailing on the tongue, sidestripe and medial panel. The bandana influence then continues onto a range of clothing and accessories.
Take a look at the collection after the jump, and expect the BEDWIN & THE HEARTBREAKERS x Vault by Vans Old Skool and Authentic to release in the near future at select Vault dealers.
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Info via Hypebeast:
“Dime is continuing its longtime partnership with Vans by helping the brand introduce its new Wayvee skate silhouette. A shoe that’s equal parts past, present and future, the Wayvee boasts high-end skateboarding performance and plenty of Dime’s signature Montreal flair across two familiar colorways: “Evening Blue” and “Egret.”
Though the Wayvee’s sturdy upper may call to mind images of ’90s and ’00s skate classics, it’s blasted into the future by translucent TPE mesh quarters and toeboxes surrounded by supple suede. “Evening Blue” accents these panels with a dark shade of navy, while “Egret” offers a more monochromatic look that blends the panels into the entirety of the shoe.
Branding is handled by Dime spellouts on the heel, insole and outsole, a co-branded hit on the tongue and Vans’ signature Jazz Stripe on the quarter. Both pairs also feature Dime’s signature yellow hue on the midsole’s rubberized badges and the insole. From a performance standpoint, the Wayvee uses a DURACAP toe cap that’s designed to handle the wear and tear of flip tricks, a cushy LuxeLiner sockliner and a vulcanized Wafflecup outsole for flex and board feel alike.”
Look for the Dime x Vans Wayvee to release via Dime’s webstore on July 17th.
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Vans and Columbus, Ohio-based retailer Sole Classics reunite this summer to revisit their first-ever collaborative shoe, the “Carmen.” Originally released in May 2013, the Sole Classics “Carmen” was an Era LX from the California footwear label’s Vault by Vans division, with a unique design inspired by the story of Ohio high school football player Jack Henderson and his golden-brown cleats.
As the story goes, after a game-winning, 99 yard play in October 1963 — the longest run from scrimmage in Ohio high school football history — Jack Henderson ran right out of the stadium, and was never seen or heard from again. A month later, a pair of golden brown cleats was found on the bank of Lake Eerie in Cleveland, Ohio, nearly 250 miles away. Legend has it that these were Henderson’s and the color came from the mileage he put on them running north through the entire state. In 1996, the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles redesigned their license plates with colors unofficially inspired by Henderson’s legacy.
In 2013, Sole Classics owner Dionte Johnson translated Henderson’s golden-cleat story and the design of the 1996 Ohio plates on a pair of Vault by Vans Era LX, featuring an ambitious, first-of-its-kind color fade treatment. However, two weeks before the sneakers were set to ship, Vans and Sole Classics received word that 86 out of a planned 200 pairs did not meet quality control standards. Due to the unique process used to create the golden fade, a faint purple thumbprint was left on nearly half of the shoes. Vans and Sole Classics agreed to release the other 114 pairs on schedule and they sold out in minutes. Fast forward to 2021, and the remaining 86 pairs of “Carmens” are getting their due.
To recreate his unique vision, Dionte Johnson commissioned two long-time Sole Classics employees, local designers Sunday Pizza and Dan Dover of Pretty Good Co., to fully hand-dye and finish 86 pairs of classic white Vans Authentics right in Columbus, Ohio. The two creatives combined their talents to bring the “Carmen” vision to life using a mix of hand-dying, custom leatherwork, and Plasti-Dip rubber coating. As with the original release, the golden fade represents Jack Henderson’s legendary journey, the hand-dyed navy laces mimic the 1996 Ohio license plate (and the navy football uniforms from the 1963 season), while the orange Vans tab references the Ohio plate sticker. The red sole completes the design, representing the Ohio state slogan; “The Heart of it All.”
Each pair of hand-crafted Sole Classics x Vans Authentic “Carmen” comes with a certificate of authenticity and will be released July 17, 2021 exclusively through Sole Classics and soleclassics.com.
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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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DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.
Vans continues to provide a canvas and platform for artists who have made their own lane and continue to push the boundaries of creativity as their vehicle of self-expression. This season Vans welcomes multi-disciplinary artists, Christopher Martin and Olivia Krause who have each defined their own path and use various artistic mediums to explore and capture imagery inspired by their roots as well as human emotion. The custom made Old Skools designed by Christopher Martin and Olivia Krause are now available on Vans.com/oldskool.
Born in North Carolina but now based in Oakland, CA, Christopher Martin plays with assorted mediums including textiles, tattooing, along with painting and illustration to create a body of work that is inspired by the journey to his roots. Using textiles as a primary medium, Martin reclaims cotton as a material that once enslaved his ancestors and combines past and contemporary images to form cut and sewn banners. Martin approached the canvas of the Old Skool as he would a tattoo, by considering the anatomy and making sure the design fit perfectly under the Sidestripe. Martin’s Old Skool design features a lady gazing at the moon – she is nostalgic of her journey while she lounges in a field of cotton plants; Using black and white colors throughout his work to reflect the bold and bare truth that represents the tensions of White and Blacks in America.
“When I think of the Old Skool, I reflect on the past and how it has brought me to where I am today,” says Martin. “I learned that one of the main resources used to create Vans shoes is cotton. I wanted to make the connection since cotton in American has been synonymous with pain and struggle within the Black community.”
Based out of Oakland, CA, Olivia Krause is a painter, textile artist and photographer. Krause enjoys working across various mediums to express their visions and creations to create vibrant imagery to help express the human experience and emotional space in abstract ways. Krause is inspired by love and the exploration of self and others. Kause’s inspiration came from watching the sunset over a drive from Los Angeles to Oakland that they took on a road trip with friends.
“I never wanted the sunset to end so I took a bunch of photos of it, some of them had a fence in them. I have loved that image and create that moment whenever I can,” said Krause. The Old Skools were designed to serve as a pop of color to capture the gradient with a hand-drawn fence graphic across the quarter panels. The vivid pattern is juxtaposed with bold color pops on the eyelets and binding and is finished cow printed uppers and a lightning bolt sidewall graphic.
Christopher Martin and Olivia Krause’s custom made Old Skool’s are available to shop now on Vans.com/oldskool.
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Info via Hypebeast:
“Vans has just unveiled a new collaboration with the Japanese streetwear label NEIGHBORHOOD. While this is not the first collab between the two names, this release is one of the more understated releases from the label.
Fans who appreciate dark and minimal Vans will love this colorway of Forest Green and black as it features colorblocked panels of suede and canvas, side “THE FILTH AND THE FURY” outsole text, and NEIGHBORHOOD branding on the heel. Arriving in both the Comfycush versions of the Sk8-Hi and Era, this updated form of the classic footwear models sees a new softer and cushiony outsole along with added arch support.”
There’s no word on pricing but NEIGHBORHOOD has the release date slated for July 10 at select retail stores.
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