Vans Revamps the Old Skool Sneaker
Vans’ Premium Old Skool sneaker — the classic silhouette with the familiar sidestripe logo, loved by skaters and punk rockers — has been redesigned.
The changes are subtle in the appearance of the shoe, which was first introduced in 1977 (originally called Style 36); it’s the interior that’s been tweaked, with comfort in mind. The VF Corp.-owned global brand is rooted in Southern California, founded in Anaheim in 1966.
“What we continue to try to drive toward as a company is maintaining this sense of heritage, this sense of the familiar and keeping that kind of core spirit alive, and then modernizing it through elevated materials, construction,” said Diandre Fuentes, Vans’ head designer of footwear. “Once you put it on, you’ll immediately notice enhanced comfort.”
The features include a bio-based insole foam for enhanced cushioning and a new footbed for improved fit. The style will drop monthly in various designs beginning Thursday at Vans retail locations and vans.com. There will be three capsules, showcasing vibrant colors, leopard prints, and checkerboard and flame motifs — reflecting and inspired by the different musical eras that have helped shape the Vans sneaker — punk, hardcore, rock and hip-hop.
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“The music moments that we chose are very specific,” Fuentes continued. “They’re very groundbreaking. I think, also, very true to Vans. They’re really cultural pivots. We focused on the ‘80s hardcore scene and going into Y2K, which is very relevant with Gen Z right now, the Warped Tour era, and ending the collection with underground, indie hip-hop.”
The shoe’s new campaign taps a new generation of artists who embody the spirit of the brand: The Paranoyds, an Los Angeles-based all-female punk group; Voice of Baceprot, a female trio metal band from Indonesia; Little Simz, a London-based rapper, and HiTech, a Detroit rap crew.
Vans hosted a series of events in Los Angeles to celebrate the occasion, first with a panel discussion featuring music figures Travis Barker, Henry Rollins, Bela Salazar of The Linda Lindas and Jahlil Nzinga of The Pack on Jan. 30, followed by an exhibition the following day curated by Vans’ archivist and historian, Catherine Acosta, titled “Feel Something New.” Open to the public at Kohn Gallery, the one-day show highlighted the sneaker’s cultural presence in the punk and hardcore scenes of the ‘70s and ‘80s, as well as hip-hop and Warped Tour, the traveling rock shows, in the ‘90s and early 2000s. The evening ended with music performances by alternative hip-hop duo Paris Texas, rock band Horsegirl and a DJ set from Rollins.
