Anderson .Paak Celebrates Vans’ Most Iconic Footwear Styles In the “Classic Since Forever” Campaign

Jul 11 22 under Celebs, General Release | Comments Off

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The Vans Global Music Ambassador and collaborator shows his love for the brand’s most iconic styles in a light-hearted video and lookbook

Anderson .Paak harbors a deep knowledge of (and appreciation for) the classics. Be it music-making or his “Vanderson” collection with Vans, .Paak’s projects pay homage to icons of the past by fusing the lessons their art offers with his unique methods of creative expression. Bringing past and present together in such a way is no small feat, and the eight-time Grammy-award winning artist and Vans Global Music Ambassador’s inherent, tasteful method of doing so is one of the qualities that makes him so special.

Anderson .Paak is “Off the Wall” through and through, and his boundless creativity and playfully rebellious spirit are spotlighted in the new “Classic Since Forever” campaign.

In 2007, .Paak, then an ambitious 21-year-old, left his hometown of Oxnard, California and headed to Hollywood to enroll in drumming school. He needed a job to help pay his tuition and he found one as a retail sales associate at a Vans store in Los Angeles’ Canoga Park neighborhood. Now, 15 years fully committed to a life in music and joining the Vans family, he’s achieved the highest level of musical success.

Even after eleven Grammy nominations and eight victories, .Paak understands the importance of sticking true to his roots and trusting his taste, much like the Vans Classics line. Consisting of Vans’ most timeless styles — the Authentic, Era, Slip-On, Sk8 Hi and Old Skool, some of which were included in the recent “Vanderson” collection — all done up in familiar color schemes, the Vans Classics line was made for free spirits, innovators, creators, and anyone anywhere in the world with an “Off the Wall” mindset of their own.

Each pair in the Vans Classics line is spotlighted in a new lookbook and short video that shows .Paak drumming in full ‘70s-inspired Silk Sonic regalia, including his signature mushroom wig. The pairs shown in the video are available now via Vans.com/classics. More Vans ambassadors will join the “Classic Since Forever” initiative in the coming months as well, with model Paloma Elsesser set to front the Fall campaign.

more pics of Anderson after the jump Read More

Vans BLACK RAINBOWS – Dogtown Event Recap (Friday 8.9.19)

Aug 12 19 under Art, Articles, Bands, Celebs, Events, Heritage, History, OTWS, UTP | 1 Comment

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!) Read More

Some Days I’m In My Yeezy’s, Some Days I’m In My Vans

Jan 25 16 under Celebs | Comments Off

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?

Usher rocking the Vans Vault x WTAPS Navy Slip-Ons

Aug 27 14 under Celebs, Collaborations, Vault | Comments Off

Vans Classic x Star Wars – Official Commercial! (Video)

May 5 14 under Ads, Celebs, Collaborations, Events, Heritage, History, NEWS, Pro, Videos | Comments Off

Via Vans:

“To introduce the special edition Vans x Star Wars collection (shoes and apparel) launching June 2014, we went to the Vans Off the Wall Skatepark in Huntington Beach, CA to film a skate contest set in 1980. After legendary skateboarder Christian Hosoi finishes his run, a rookie wookiee (played by another legend — Steve Caballero) rips the bowl and receives mixed scores from the judges. Tony Alva, Jeff Grosso and Vans surf team riders Leila Hurst and Alex Knost can be seen cheering in the crowd alongside Stormtroopers, Jawas and Chewbacca.”

OffTheWall.TV is a digital online video network chronicling the unique aspects of Vans’ brand of youth culture through original video projects and exclusive content exploring skate, surf, snow, BMX, girls’ lifestyle, art and music. With more than 45 years of rich heritage and far-reaching influence in youth culture, OffTheWall.TV story-telling captures the creative expressions of Vans’ “Off the Wall” identity.

Check out http://offthewall.tv/

Subscribe to Vans OffTheWall.TV: http://bit.ly/1aIFFTY

#OffTheWallTV

Vans Syndicate – Interview with Ice-T (by Jeff Potocar @jeffkutter)

Sep 16 13 under Celebs, Collaborations, Interviews, Syndicate | Comments Off

Jeff Potocar, of Syndicate and Supreme LA sat down with Ice-T awhile back, and had an in depth interview on Ice’s background. They discuss a number of things, like why he called their circle a “Syndicate”, how he got started in his music career, the notoriety over Body Count’s “Cop Killer” song, and also how Ice is a big time online gamer. If you watch Ice Loves Coco, then you’d already know that. Huh? What? I mean…that’s news to me! It’s an interesting read, and I figured you all would get a kick out of his humor, and even more importantly, admire his realness. It’s something that’s becoming harder and harder to find these days.

Head on over to the Vans Syndicate page to read the entire interview!

Vans Syndicate 023.141 – Ice-T “Rhyme Syndicate” Sk8-Hi OG “S” (Detailed Pics!)

Sep 3 13 under Celebs, Collaborations, Syndicate | Comments Off

Vans has started shipping out the Ice-T pack to your local Vans Syndicate accounts, and we just wanted to show you a little preview of what to expect (thanks to OTWS member RuDe-oNe). Other than the details that have been discussed before, we now get a better look at the accessory revolver keychain, the plastic “body bag” for the shoes, as well as the detailed artwork for the insoles and box, and rejoice! Drawer boxes are back! But so are the higher price tags that accomodate all of that ($120 for the Sk8-Hi), but it’s well worth it in my opinion. Then again, I’m from Southern California, and spent the formidable part of my childhood years (without my Mother’s knowledge) listening to Ice-T, so this release is a must have for me. I hope everyone who wants these will get them! Until then, enjoy some pics!

tons more pics and details after the jump Read More

Celebs Rocking Vans – Kanye West in the Vault x WTAPS Olive Sk8-Hi

Aug 19 13 under Celebs, Collaborations, Vault | Comments Off

We haven’t had any celebrity news in a long time, but this weekend some photos popped up, of Kanye West rocking the recently released Vans Vault x WTAPS OG Sk8-Hi “Olive” colorway. Some of us already knew this shoe was dope and an instant classic, but perhaps now, this shoe can gain the respect from those we don’t really care to get it from in the first place, lol! Enjoy!

info via Sole Collector

Vans Syndicate x Odd Future – Old Skool “S” (via @ModernNotoriety)

Dec 19 12 under Celebs, Collaborations, Syndicate | Comments Off

-I was asked to take the photo down by the nice people over at Vans, so I respectfully did 🙂

Not much info out on these just yet, but Modern Notoriety has leaked a photo of what looks to be an upcoming Vans Syndicate collaboration, with Tyler The Creator of Odd Future. There’s 4 Old Skools shown, each sitting on top of a gum sole, with color-matching foxing stripe. The white jazz stripe on each pair, sets a nice contrast for the otherwise tonal shoe. As more info arises, we’ll be sure to share it with you all.

info via Modern Notoriety

L.A. Lakers’ Steve Nash rockin’ them Syndicate x W)Taps Sk8-Hi “Burgundy Bones”

Sep 19 12 under Celebs, Syndicate | Comments Off

I woke up this morning to some awesome news, that one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ newest members, Steve Nash, was rockin’ some straight up Vans heat last night on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno! How cool is that? I mean, celebs are seen rocking your typical GR sneaker, here or there, and possibly even a clean looking model, such as a CA or Vault release, but Syndicates?! C’mon son! These things were a straight up mission if you weren’t in the know when they originally released, and they sure as hell aren’t just sitting on shelves at your local skate shop. Most sneaker boutiques don’t even carry Syndicates, and the only ones on their stylist’s radar would be Supreme, Supreme, or Supreme. Mad props to Mr. Nash, on rocking some truly respected Vans right here. Justin Timberlake was probably like “where can I get those, dawg?”

pics via RIF‘s Instagram, and another person’s which I’ve credited on Instagram.