On March 16, Vans brought together 50 years of “Off The Wall” heritage in action sports, art, music and street culture at House of Vans celebrations worldwide. From New York to London to Hong Kong, Vans united thousands of guests under a checkerboard flag to showcase Vans’ unique culture through multifaceted activations including interactive workshops, vintage memorabilia installations, and unforgettable musical performances.
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Words via Hypebeast:
“As Easter Sunday quickly approaches, you can expect a mix of pastel coloring to surround you in celebration. This time around you’ll be able to wear those same colors on your feet thanks to a recent collaboration between Opening Ceremony and Vans Vault. Using the Sk8-Hi and Old Skool silhouettes, you’ll find its simple inspiration rooted in the holiday’s themed hues such as Easter eggs, sherbet, mint and marshmallow pink. The Old Skool LX will retail for $90 USD while the Sk8-Hi LX will be priced at $105 USD. The Opening Ceremony x Vans Vault “Easter Pack” is available now via Opening Ceremony’s site.”
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Here’s a nice surprise. It appears that along with each release of 50th Anniversary Pro models, there will be a more limited edition shoe releasing only at your core skate shops. Pretty much those same shops that carried Vans Syndicate. The first shoe being offered up is an Era Pro, with the same 50th Anniversary labeling, representing 1976, in a red suede toe and tongue, but in a mismatched yellow/navy back half of each shoe. Very interesting, and unique. Silo, as well as your other local former Syndicate carriers should be getting these this Saturday.
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From the first pair of Vans in 1966, to countless pairs of Vans in 2016, Steve Van Doren, the Godfather of Vans, has been putting his staple on Vans footwear since he started working for his father’s company 50 years ago. His dedicated led to the production of the first-ever skateboarding shoe. Get a glimpse into the past and take a tour of what goes into making a pair of Vans shoe with Steve and Vans Skate Legend Christian Hosoi.
The Story of Vans showcases 50 years of milestones that have made Vans the unique brand it is today. Watch the animated story and follow the brand’s origins in action sports, art, music and fashion. Narrated by Vans Skateboarding Legend, Jeff Grosso.
Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand, is pleased to announce the global launch of The Story of Vans on this historic day, Vans’ 50th anniversary. On March 16, 1966 Vans opened in Anaheim, Calif. as a small family-owned brand with big dreams. 50 years later, the Van Doren spirit lives on as one of the largest youth culture brands in the world, fostering a culture of creative expression through action sports, art, music and street culture. Vans commemorates its rich heritage with The Story of Vans series – a visual campaign that is truly the first of its kind – combining a mix of artistic methods to highlight iconic moments from the brand’s 50-year history.
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Here’s another article about Vans and their 50th Anniversary, this time from the Los Angeles Times. Check it out and read it from another interviewer’s perspective.
Article by Adam Tschorn of the LA Times
Steve Van Doren, himself
As we come up on Vans’ 50th Anniversary this Wednesday, Vans has been featured in a few articles around town, and Orange County’s own OC Register sat down with our friends over at Vans, to discuss the past, present, and future, and were also kind enough to get Laylan Connelly, the one who wrote the article, to reach out to me for our perspective on the brand, and how people like us represent Vans in the current sneaker collecting community. We had a nice phone conversation, and I’m sure I rambled on a little too much, as I normally do, but it was just nice to see that she even included my part, lol! Anyways, read the great article over on the OC Register.
Everybody’s favorite vintage Vans fanatic, @pillowheat
info via Laylan at the OC Register
pic via @obivanskenobi
Over the past week, we’ve been seeing quite a bit of Vans employees posting up pics of an awesome Authentic that was gifted to them by Vans. Designed by Steve Van Doren, the shoe features a natural white canvas, with a black all-over print of most of the iconic patterns that Vans used back in the day, when they were made here in Southern California. These logos have been reintroduced many times within the Vault line, and then later on in the Van Doren line, which was a nice tribute to all of the vintage Vans designs, and was an awesome way to reintroduce the mainstream public to the history of Vans. Some of our favorites can be seen throughout the shoe, like the palm leaf, vanosaur, pirate skull, and aloha parrot, to name a few. Check out a few pics on our Instagram page, and ask your local Vans employee to show you their pair, as I’m sure they’ll be wearing them tomorrow!
The first round of the 50th Anniversary Pro models are set to release this Wednesday, on the official 50th Anniversary of Vans. This series is going to pay homage to the iconic shoes that created a milestone along Vans’ long and illustrious life-span. For this first release, we get the “Duke Kahanamoku” Aloha print Authentic, in the same red/white pattern that sparked the idea of customized shoes in 1966. Next, is the 1974 Navy Authentic, a classic complete with the wide stitched heel strip, made popular by skate punks in Venice Beach, later on becoming known as the Z-Boys from Dogtown. In 1976, Vans saw the demand for a better skate shoe, so they created the Era, which was an update to the Authentic, with a padded ankle collar and eye-row, and suede material which stood up to more abuse. The Mid Skool 79 (not pictured) was Tony Alva’s signature shoe, which he still uses to this day in his pro collabs, and was a necessary tool in the pool, where he mastered the art of pool skating. Last, but not least, we get the “82” Slip-On Pro, complete with the OG black and white checkerboard print, made famous nation-wide by the now cult classic “Fast Times At Ridgemont High”. Each shoe is constructed in the Pro fashion, featuring Vans Ultracush HD removable footbeds, original waffle gum soles, and Signature 50th Anniversary artwork in gold on the footbeds. The distribution for these is a little spotty, with most pairs being limited to a size run per store, but more shops should be carrying them, than say, what Syndicate’s allocations were, including a few larger market Vans stores. Silo will be carrying these, and you know I always hook my family up when I can, so support them and try and pick up your pairs there!
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Engineered Garments is back with another iteration of their “mismatched” Vans Vault series, and this time they’ve introduced a Sk8-Hi Reissue into the lineup. They’re also back at it again with the Slip-On LX, this time going for a tonal color palette throughout the entire shoe and foxing. The pack is being offered up in the familiar reverse suede/leather combo, in a black, white, or moon rock colorway. Look for these to be available soon at Nepenthes NY.
info via Hypebeast
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