Vans BLACK RAINBOWS – Dogtown Event Recap (Friday 8.9.19)

This past Friday, I had the pleasure of being invited to the opening of BLACK RAINBOWS, a 10-day immersive experience in Venice Beach, put on by Vans, that transports visitors back to 1976 to celebrate the energetic time period and place that Vans’ first skateboarding shoe, the Era, was born.

If you want to share my experience and over 50 pics from this amazing event, read on after the jump (sort of a long read!)

Our first stop of the evening was to visit the check-in table to get some credentials, in which we were delightfully surprised to get a token, redeemable for a gift tote at their “House Of Van” pop-up shop, recreated in great detail, of what a Vans store would have looked like during this period.  As we walked down the steps into this basement-turned-Vans store, we were greeted by our Vans P.R. friends Michelle and Taylor, who are just the most awesome and kind people in the world I might add, and who without them, none of this would be possible, so thank thank thank you!  The store featured stacks and stacks of the familiar “Customade For You” striped Vans shoes boxes, with shelving on both sides of the room.  On top of one shelf, sat a vintage 8-track stereo with one of those old wood laminate speakers next to it.  At the front counter, was a big “The House Of Van” circus-themed sign, just like the one you might’ve seen if you were old enough to walk into a Vans store in the mid-70’s.  In this pop-up store, you could pick from numerous currently available Eras.  A few Vaults, Anaheims, ComfyCush’s, etc. but you guys know me.  I saw there was a special event-exclusive section, and there sat two Era’s, in a Classics mainline construction, in black or navy, sitting on top of a white mid-sole, with white laces, eyelets, and a white tongue.  The black pair featured a DOGTOWN graphic on the foxing rubber, as well as the classic cross logo on the heel.  The navy pair featured subtle graphics by the one and only, Zephyr Surf Boards legend, Jeff Ho, who if you don’t know who he is, well, you better go ask somebody!  We chose to go with the classic DOGTOWN pair, but I need to try and hunt the Jeff Ho pair down.  Sz12 if anybody wants to help me, lol!

The reason we were here tonight, was to celebrate the Vans sneaker, we know as the Era, but more importantly, pay homage and school the youth on skateboarding’s roots, and where it all started.  If it wasn’t for the Z-Boys of Dogtown, aka Venice Beach, California, skateboarding would’ve just been another fad, and “gone the route of the hula hoop”, as Tony Alva provided for an analogy.  I want to set the stage for a minute, before I get into the amazing discussion panel that took place.  As we entered the exhibition across the street from the pop-up store, we walked down some steps and stepped back into what was very much, a 19 year old Tony Alva’s bedroom, in 1976.  An old record player sat next to some rock albums, with a few surf posters on some wood paneled walls.  A mattress laid there on the floor, an un-made bed, with some clothes and a few pairs of grungy Vans strewn about.  A bong sat on the night stand, with a few dirty dishes, and there were a few Z-Flex skateboards in the corner.  Tony mentioned that this was a pretty accurate depiction of his room, located only a few doors up the street from this actual venue.  You had to pass through this room, to get to the main warehouse space.  The walls were covered in various vintage ads and excerpts, depicting different Vans facts about the Era, or what was known as the Style 95.  A few made in USA Vans shoes and even an original waffle mold were all on display.  Beyond a wall divider, is where a big collection of original Zephyr surfboards and Dogtown skateboards were on display, property of Jeff Ho.  I highly recommend trying to visit the venue sometime within the 10 days that it’s open, just to see this collection.  It’s well worth it.

The skate session had already started by the time we walked in, and I was trying to get in where I fit in, taking mostly blurry action shots.  I think I got a few good ones in there, and captured the vibe of the evening.  Punk music was blasting through the house system.  People were scattered all over the place, with their phones up in the air.  People were cheering and clapping at every landed trick.  Tony Alva, Eric Dressen, Rowan Zorilla, and Elijah Berle were all taking turns riding into the shallow end of a pool, landing a trick whether it was off the pool coping, or the back wall, and then skating back out of it.  Skating pools were something the Z-Boys were notoriously known for, especially Alva, so it was fitting that half a pool was constructed in this warehouse, turned art gallery and music venue.  Some of the local skate scene, mostly this group of girls, started getting in on the fun, and they were tearing shit up.  It was awesome, and the energy was infectious, and youthful.  This is what it’s all about.

After the session finished, Vans Global Director of Product, Justin Reagan, led a panel discussion with the original Lords of Dog Town.  There was their OG leader, Jeff Ho, the one who formed their team, and who owned Zephyr Surf Shop, the homebase for their community.  Then there was Peggy Oki, the only girl skater in their day, good enough to be a part of their team.  She wasn’t just “good for a girl”, as she was always able to hang with the best of them.  Then there was Jim Muir, who was credited with being the first one to introduce the crew to urethane wheels, allowing their skate progression to advance tremendously, and transform skateboarding into what we all know it to be, today.  Eric Dressen was also in the house.  Eric is responsible for some of my most favorite Vans Syndicate shoes by the way!  He was of the generation that came after the OG Z-Boys, and was also from Venice, and Elijah Berle also sat on the panel, representing the current generation of skaters to come out of the Venice/Santa Monica area.  Tony Alva sat on the end, and was probably the most entertaining and intriguing of them all, but I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone who’s met or seen Tony talk before.  It was indescribable, the feeling I had just watching and listening to these legends talk about originality, authenticity and being true to yourself.  Following your passion, and doing what you really love to do, will bring the most joy and happiness, and sometimes you might even be rewarded for it!  I felt like much of this wisdom was speaking directly to me.  Let’s not forget that the Zephyr team were first surfers, and skaters second, so some of that lifestyle influences their passions, and Peggy’s a big advocate for our oceans and marine life.  Each one balances out the other, and she spends a lot of time creating awareness for things like overfishing, and hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths of large sea mammals like whales and dolphins, who get caught up in trawling nets and drown.  She wants everyone to just be a little more mindful when making decisions on what we decide to buy.

I also didn’t want to fail to mention, that Vans rewarded everyone in attendance with one hell of a punk rock show.  It was natural that Venice natives, Suicidal Tendencies were the headliner, complete with frontman, Mike Muir, aka Cyco Mike, who is also Dogtown OG Jim Muir’s little brother.  Former ST member Robert Trujillo, of Metallica, was also in the crowd!  Super loud, and lots of crazy aggressive energy filled the room, which was kicked off by Los Angeles hardcore band, Entry.  After their set, I mostly stood behind them, as we all watched Suicidal Tendencies get down.  I got a few good shots from both performances as well, and our ears are still ringing from the event!

This was a once in a lifetime experience, to get to see the pioneers of what is now a multi-billion dollar industry, that could have turned out to be just another trend.  It’s sad to think that some of them are no longer with us, but thankfully most still are, and as long as they (and all of us) continue to re-tell their stories through art, music, and exhibitions like what Vans has put on here, then we can be sure that the story will be told right.  Yes, the BLACK RAINBOWS event’s inspiration is to celebrate the Era Style 95, but this opening night was all about the people behind the shoe, which is just the way the Van Dorens would have wanted it.  I still can’t thank Vans enough for allowing me to be a part of this.

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