Our friends over at Off The Hook in Montreal, sent us over this exclusive teaser photo of their next collaboration with Vans Vault. This time, they let us know that there is a surprise third partner in this project, and they will announce who it is next week. Until then, all we know is there is a Sk8-Hi of some sort. As info comes in, we’ll be sure to share it here. Thanks to OTH for the exclusive teaser! We can’t wait.
Words via Hypebeast:
“Tokyo retailer BILLY’s is home to yet another exclusive Vans release, this time in form of the Era Half Moon silhouette. Boasting a suede upper, the throwback sneaker is rendered in blue, red, white and black colorways, and features a forefoot wrap that extends from the frontal portion of vulcanized sole. The design is finished off with white lacing and subtle Vans branding. Pick all colorways for ¥9,000 JPY (approximately $74 USD) at BILLY’s starting February 11.”
more colorways after the jump
Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand continues its celebration of 50 extraordinary years presenting the Sk8-Hi in a collection that spans 50 colorways for spring. The Sk8-Hi was first introduced as Vans “Style 38” in 1977 and was the first high-top silhouette offered by Vans. The multi-panel construction provided endless customization possibilities allowing the Sk8-Hi to be worn and styled by artists, athletes and creative expressers alike.
The Sk8-Hi serves as a canvas for new color offerings, vibrant prints and premium material upgrades, while its timeless form provides a framework for design enhancements including deconstructed uppers, zip back detailing and slim sole construction. Each new enhancement stands alongside the original Sk8-Hi colorways that were first introduced almost 40 years ago.
The 50 renditions of the Sk8-Hi are offered for men and women in makeups that showcase the design versatility of the classic footwear model. The men’s assortment highlights the Sk8-Hi in Zip and Reissue forms in a range of premium leather options including snakeskin embossed leather. The multifaceted composition of the quarter panel boasts embroidered bandana details, digitally printed floral and woven textile inserts all marked with Vans’ coveted Sidestripe.
The women’s collection features fresh colorways of all canvas basics as well as new playful prints that include an all-over banana pattern, tropical motifs and a specialty print from New York artist, Baron Von Fancy. Leather in blush tone nude, patent leopard, metallic and laser cut stars present fashion forward takes of the Sk8-Hi. Newly introduced, the Sk8-Hi Slim Cutout is designed with a see through mesh liner on the quarter panel bringing forth a whole new styling opportunity of a Vans classic.
Celebrate with Vans and brand ambassadors including Steve Caballero, Henry Rollins, Natalie Westling, Syd Tha Kyd, Jay Howell, Wade Goodall and Lizzie Armanto, as we honor 50 years of classic design with the Sk8-Hi, a style that remains a constant source of inspiration and a catalyst for personal style and self-expression. Shop the Vans Sk8-Hi collection at Vans stores and online at vans.com/sk8hi.
All 50 Sk8-Hi’s for 2016 can be seen after the jump
Vans has teamed up with Jerry Lorenzo and his brand F.O.G. (Fear Of God) to bring us two fashion forward versions of the Sk8-Hi and Era. Each pair comes in a black and white color combo, with the Sk8-Hi showing a fresh idea for the color blocking, and the Era featuring an all-over pattern of the brand’s logo. These look to be a Vault release, but the initial pics show a GR insole, and the word is that his line will be offered at Pac Sun, and you won’t find a Vault release within those doors. Either way, these are creating a lot of buzz, and we just wanted to join in on the fun.
info via Hypebeast
Hypebeast sat down with Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, and Vans VP Doug Palladini to talk about their recent Vans collaboration, a collection of reimagined Vans silhouettes fit for the modern eatery. They discuss the inspiration for each colorway, the work ethic of those working in the kitchen, and there’s also mention of these shoes coming soon, so check out the article HERE.
Vans Vault returns for Spring 2016 with a banger. Pony hair and premium leather make up these OG Slip-On 59 LX’s and OG Sk8-Hi LX’s. Black, Rusty Red, and Turtle Dove colorways each feature a cheetah, zebra, or lynx print. We expect these to be a hit with the ladies, but there will be sizes up to a Mens 13, so keep an eye out from your favorite Vault dealer. These should be arriving in a week or so.
info via Hypebeast
more pics after the jump Read More
This past Sunday, we linked up with the homies at Frank & Sons for their inaugural Laced, Locked, and Loaded Super Show. If you aren’t from the SoCal area, or you aren’t a comic book, sports memorabilia, or toy nerd, then you probably don’t know what Frank & Sons is. Basically, it’s the OG Triple OG place to go for all things just mentioned. They’ve been around longer than San Diego Comic Con, and this was, and still is the place to go, to get your fix on all things collectible, and yes even sneakers! Open every Tuesday and Saturday! Our friend Pablo runs a booth at this show, and he, along with Frankie Z of Frank & Sons, and their team, organized one of the biggest, and best shows we’ve seen, since the Dunkxchange days. Keep in mind, this was a grassroots effort, and the local shops, and sneaker community came out and supported them to the fullest. I was just stoked to see someone local from my same home town area do something like this, and it was a no-brainer to be a part of it. L.A. came to the SGV/IE for this! The show was huge, and there was a ton of heat on display. I knew that if I was going to join in on this, then I would have to bring out some of the best Vans to ever release. Plus, I was representing for the Vans community that couldn’t be there. I took quite a bit of pictures, mostly of our table, which is probably what y’all wanted to see anyways, right? A special thanks goes out to my Tintin, and to the homie Dean for helping me out all day. Thanks to Pablo and Frankie for the hospitality and keeping things running smoothly for everyone, and oh yeah, thanks to everyone who’s already commented on a few pics on Strictly Waffles FB group, and here’s the rest that I took. Enjoy!
pics after the jump
So there’s been quite a bit of talk over the past week about a specific picture that popped up on the web, featuring Kanye West sitting next to Kendrick Lamar, in some Caballeros, and I think it’s time we chimed in and gave our two cents. The Caballero is set to re-release this year as part of the Vans 50th Anniversary celebration, but according to some friends on the inside, the colorway Yeezy was wearing wasn’t one on the pre-order sheets. In fact, the shoe in the photo looks to be one of the 20th Anniversary Caballero models, as pictured below, and maybe it was just the poor lighting that gave it a different shade. We don’t know for sure, but we’ve attached two different pics of what we think the actual shoe is. It’s no secret that our man Kanye is a fan of Vans. He’s been seen in some rare joints before, like the Vault x Ludwig Van “40’s Nostalgic” Era 59 LX, the Olive Vault x Wtaps OG Sk8-Hi LX, and a few other Vaults. Whether he’s been flowed these shoes, or if he purchased them himself, we’ll never know, but being how serious he takes fashion, I’m sure he doesn’t just wear stuff to help someone else out. Perhaps he’s trying to get more in touch with his current demographic, which just so happens to be a lot of OUR current demographic, haha! I, for one, appreciate that he’s publicly wearing Vans, even if it’s a double-edged sword, meaning we may have a tougher time trying to get our rare pairs, but at least it’s some sort of ridiculous validation for what we’ve been aimlessly doing for years. Did you notice the Taxi Driver Supreme tee as well? We can say that the Vans and Sup tee combination didn’t start with Ye! You can’t tell me he doesn’t relate to some of you. But anyways, just kill the noise, and let Vans be the ones to officially announce IF Kanye comes on board.
Update: (Found this via our community FB group Strictly Waffles, thanks to Joey)
Vans chief: We don’t need celebrities to sell our product
Back in March 2015, Vans President, Kevin Bailey said in a CNBC interview that their choice to not endorse celebrities and other high profile people comes from an authenticity standpoint, and Vans prides itself on being a “very simple product”. Now, for all we know, the company may have made some changes, especially if it involves the #1 current fashion icon who already wears their stuff, but then again, it just seems to go against Vans’ ideals of being the outsider. The authentic ones. They’ve been successful for 21 consecutive quarters, seeing double-digit growth, all without any celebrity deals. Why change it up now?
Staying out late on a Thursday night, especially in the mid-city of Los Angeles is pretty tough for a working guy like me, but when you get an invite from Vans to attend a private event that includes food, alcohol, exclusive access to a new shoe, and did I mention food? Well, then you bet your ass I’ll make an effort to attend. Tintin and I had arrived a little late, and were almost denied access due to the restaurant already reaching max capacity, but we somehow managed to convince the door guy to let us in, since we were the only two people standing outside on the sidewalk of Fairfax. Once inside, we were met with a lively crowd, energized by the soulful funk music that was playing in the background. You instantly get hit with the awesome smell of Italian dishes being cooked up right in front of the counter. Wood-fired pizzas, hand-made pastas, and other delicious items were being handed out by waiters everywhere you looked. There were a few notable celebrities in the house as well, as to which I only recognized Jimmy Kimmel, but Tintin could name all of the others from shows that she currently watches. I’m not sure if they were here for the event, or if they were just here to eat, but you know the food is good if guys like Jimmy Kimmel vouch for it. He created the Feast of San Gennaro! He has a Lawry’s Primerib rolling cart! I digress. So we head out to the back of the restaurant, where they have a nice outdoor venue set up, with a tent, an open bar, shoes on display, and Ray Barbee playing some great instrumental tunes for the crowd! What could be better? I ran into all the Vans friends that I’ve met over the years, and made some new ones as well. We enjoyed bombarding the waiters, sampling everything that rolled out of the kitchen. The chocolate filled donuts, peppermint meringue *thingies*, and chocolate cookies were all a nice follow-up to the pizzas and pastas. All in all it was an amazing night, and although the event was about the shoes, the food stole the spotlight and our hats go off to Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo for their awesome achievement. Their crew looked stoked to have their very own Vans shoe, and everyone wore it with pride. Thanks again Vans for letting us take part in this as well.
tons of event pics after the jump Read More
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