Vans x Stranger Things – General Release & Customs Collection (8.26.22)

Aug 24 22 under Collaborations, Customs, General Release | Comments Off

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

Following the launch of Stranger Things 4, a thematic collaborative capsule is on the way via Vans. Bringing the imaginative world to life, fans are offered an array of footwear and apparel, including the opportunity to customize a significant portion of the products.

Beginning with footwear, the Sk8-Hi, Old Skool, Slip-On and Authentic silhouettes are all visited by the duo as various thematic graphics and detailing covers each pair. The Old Skool “Hellfire Club Style 36” carries a black and red crackle print while being embellished with skulls, axes and throwing stars from Dungeons & Dragons. Other key inclusions involve customizable pairs of the aforementioned four styles and a Sk8-Hi Reissue that utilizes a hairy suede upper, reflective Demogorgon screen print and “FRIENDS DON’T LIE” text on the midsole. Considering the apparel offerings, a Hellfire Club Jean Jacket leads the way alongside various graphic tees, accessories and a camp shirt and short set.

Look for the entire Stranger Things 4 x Vans collection of footwear and apparel to be available August 26 via Vans and select retailers worldwide.

Support us by clicking through the link above to purchase on Friday!

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Vans Celebrates Grand Prize Winner and Runner Up Finalists in High School Custom Culture Competition

May 23 22 under Art, Contests, Customs, Heritage, NEWS | Comments Off

Moanalua High School has won $50,000 for their high school’s art program in the 13th annual Vans High School Custom Culture competition

Vans is thrilled to announce Moanalua High School as the winner of the 13th annual Vans Custom Culture competition and honoree of $50,000 for their school’s art program. The remaining four finalists, Central High School, Avella Jr. Sr. High School, Sisters High School, and Wrangell High School will also receive limited-edition Vans gifts and $15,000 to support their school art programs.

New this year, each of the top five schools will receive an artist mentorship lesson from one of Vans’ art ambassadors: Tony Whlgn, Sydney G. James, Jay Howell, Todd Francis, Mich Miller, Kelly Breez, Camilo Medina, Noah Humes, O.J. Hays, Tony Whlgn, Sara Yukiko Mon, and David Heo.

Finalists

Moanalua High School – Honolulu, HI

Wrangell High School – Wrangell, AK

Sisters High School – Sisters, OR

Avella Jr. Sr. High School – Avella, PA

Central High School – Knoxville, TN

To celebrate this incredible moment, students at Moanalua High School received a surprise party on their high school campus, including a special guest appearance from singer-songwriter Bishop Briggs to celebrate at the school’s campus.

“Moanalua’s graduation was this week. Knowing that I ended my senior year with this win… I’m really happy and I wanted to cry happy tears,” said Jaidalyn Kamaunu, a senior at Moanalua. “We worked nearly every day after school for about one to two hours a day. There were days on the weekends, we would dedicate a whole entire seven-hour workday just to work on the shoes,” noted another Moanalua student, 11th grader Dianne Cabico.

Thank you to our partners for empowering this competition, including Yoobi, Vans’ exclusive art supplies partner who provided gift cards to all the participating schools for them to purchase much-needed art supplies, Scholarship America for community-based scholarship programs, and Journeys, who awarded all participating students a gift card to their store in recognition of their accomplishments.

Vans Custom Culture has reached hundreds of thousands of students, continuing to show how impactful art programs are by donating over $1,110,000 USD back to high school art programs to date. Please visit Vans Custom Culture to learn how to register your school next year or follow us on social at @VansCustomCulture for design inspiration and how-to lessons from Vans art ambassadors.

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Vans Partners with Global Non-Profit, Tony Hawk and Olympic Skaters for Epic Celebration of Skate Community

Jun 21 21 under Collaborations, Customs, Events, General Release, Heritage, History, Kids, NEWS | Comments Off

Vans – the undeniable leader in skateboarding for over 50 years – will be launching a global campaign ahead of skateboarding’s Olympic debut, highlighting the things that make skateboarding great.

Since the beginning, Vans has celebrated the creative culture of skateboarding and the individual self-expression it embodies through listening, empowering and showcasing local communities driving skate culture around the world. This summer’s campaign, “No Matter How Big Skateboarding Gets, Never Forget Where it Starts,” highlights what makes skateboarding so special…the streets, skateparks, backyard pools and communities that built skate from the very beginning.

For this campaign, Vans is partnering with award-winning international non-profit Skateistan, who empowers children through skateboarding and education in Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa and skateboarding’s biggest legend and Skateistan ambassador, Tony Hawk. The campaign will also feature Olympic skaters Lizzie Armanto (FIN) and Pedro Barros (BRA) who will have featured videos during the campaign.

In the spirit of celebrating the creativity in skateboarding, Vans ambassadors will also be building their own Vans Skate Classic Customs and Vans is encouraging fans to do the same. This summer $10 from every pair of Vans Skate Customs up to $200k, will go to Skateistan to benefit skate communities globally. Vans Fans can also donate at Vans.com/skateistan and Vans.com/customs.

Vans Customs x SpongeBob SquarePants – Exclusive Swatches & Sidewall Art Options (6.4.21)

May 24 21 under Collaborations, Customs | Comments Off

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

Vans and Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants are back yet again with a special delivery of prints and patterns that are available exclusively on Vans’ Customs platform. Vans Customs have been a tradition since 1966, allowing customers to enable their creativity and put their own spin on Vans Classic footwear. This June, Vans’ favorite cast of Bikini Bottom characters are set to release four exclusive custom swatches and two sidewall prints giving fans an endless amount of creativity to design their own Vans x SpongeBob footwear.

Joining the expansive lineup of Vans x SpongeBob product, Vans customs is set to launch four exclusive swatches including SpongeBob SquarePants and his many expressions encapsulated in bubbles inspired by Vans iconic checkerboard print. You can also catch SpongeBob in a print inspired by his many adventures throughout Jellyfish Fields. Patrick Star receives his own print that is collaged with some of his most memorable reactions, and if you want to sport the entire Bikini Bottom cast, the fourth print is an all-over execution with all of the series most beloved characters. Fans can choose from any of the four swatches and customize them with various prints and materials atop any of Vans Classic footwear styles.

The Customization doesn’t stop there! To complete your Vans custom design is an exclusive sidewall print featuring a SpongeBob checkerboard tape to dress up the sidewall of your sneakers. Each pair of Vans x SpongeBob Customs will be complete with a yellow sock liner graphic.

Customize your own Vans x SpongeBob footwear beginning June 4 on Vans.com/spongebob.

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Vans – “Foot the Bill” Customization Program Returns to Support Small Business Partners (Jan 2021)

Jan 26 21 under Collaborations, Customs | Comments Off

Vans is excited to announce the return of its “Foot the Bill” program to help support small business partners throughout the country. Vans will be teaming up with independent shops and community driven spaces to create custom footwear and apparel that will be available for purchase online at vans.com/footthebill. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a devastating toll on small businesses, the net proceeds from the “Foot the Bill” merchandise will be going directly to each of the partners involved to help them navigate these difficult times.

Each participating partner’s “Foot the Bill” footwear and apparel will feature unique artwork that best represents its business. Through the Vans Customs website, customers will be able to support a business by selecting its unique design to create a custom pair of Vans. Participating partners will choose one Vans Classics shoe silhouette and it will serve as a canvas for the artist of their choice. Customers will then have the ability to use the Vans Customs tools to select color, print, and the material combinations to design a truly custom pair of Vans.

To kickoff this year’s “Foot the Bill” program Vans is proud to be partnering with small businesses and venues, Guerrilla Tacos (Los Angeles, CA), Smartbar (Chicago, IL), The Parks Finest (Los Angeles, CA), Red River Cultural District (Austin, TX), and Black Cat (Washington D.C.). For each of these businesses the funds raised by “Foot the Bill” will be beneficial for ensuring that their employees and establishments can continue contributing their services to their respective communities. The widespread affects of the COVID-19 pandemic have presented these businesses with an unprecedented amount of obstacles and stress as they have been tasked with adapting to state mandated closures of non-essential businesses and new guidelines for restaurant operations. Each of the “Foot the Bill” partners is a vital part of the community in which they reside, and Vans is committed to helping these independent businesses weather the challenges ahead.

“Last year’s “Foot the Bill” program sold 20,962 pairs of Vans globally and raised over $4 million for the participating partners,” said Carly Gomez, VP Marketing of Vans the Americas. “This unique opportunity to offer support to our extended Vans Family is the least that we can do to show our appreciation and thank them during hard times.”

Vans will continue expanding the support of the program by adding two to three small businesses to the list of “Foot the Bill” partners each week. Vans will be producing 1,000 pairs of Custom Vans shoes and 250 t-shirts per partner, based on demand. In conjunction with Black History Month all of the partners in the month of February will be Black-owned businesses. Also, Vans will be highlighting three Black-owned businesses each week in order to direct consumers to Black-owned businesses throughout the United States. Through efforts like “Foot the Bill” Vans is committed to championing inclusivity by supporting small businesses that are owned and operated by diverse communities

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Vans Custom Culture High School Competition Launches with a Grand Prize of $50,000 to the Winners High School Art Program

Jan 12 21 under Art, Contests, Customs | Comments Off

To kick off the new year, Vans invites all public and private high school students to take part in Vans Custom Culture 2021. Vans Custom Culture returns for its twelfth installment with a couple of new themes to match the current times. To reflect the state of the world, this year’s new topics are “Hometown Pride” and “Head in the Clouds.” Students will have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and artistic abilities by submitting a unique digital shoe design that illustrates this year’s themes for a chance to win a grand prize of $50,000 for their high school’s art program. Runner ups will receive $15,000 and the top five schools will receive an artist mentorship lesson from one of Vans’ art ambassadors: Kelly Breez, Robin Eisenberg, Jay Howell, Todd Francis, Olivia Krause, Camilo Medina, Noah Humes, O.J. Hays, Tony Whlgn, and Sydney James.

Online registration at the Vans Custom Culture website opened on January 4th and will close on January 29^th, 2021. This year’s themes of “Hometown Pride” and “Head in the Clouds” look to highlight the special qualities of where each school is located as well as student’s visions for the future and their communities. These new themes look to challenge and encourage students to come up with unique and meaningful digital shoe designs that represent their school’s culture. Vans has partnered with Yoobi, Americans for the Arts, and Journeys to supply students and schools with resources and scholarship opportunities.

After the digital submission window ends on February 19^th, 250 schools will be asked to submit a physical shoe design that best embodies “Hometown Pride” and “Head in the Clouds.” As an added bonus to challenge and encourage students to think critically about the environment, Vans will be offering a $500 gift card for art supplies to the best designs that can be made out of sustainable materials. Vans will also be donating $500 per school to an environmental organization to help promote and encourage investment in sustainability.

Once the top 50 designs are selected, the online voting window will determine the top five finalists. Online voting begins on April 26^th and each school has the opportunity to make it to the finals by encouraging their communities to support them through online voting. The grand-prize winning school will be announced in May via an online livestream event and they will be receiving a $50,000 check for their school’s art program.

“The variety of submissions we received in the past continues to reveal the pool of talented artists we have and the need for well-funded art education programs across the country,” said Carly Gomez, VP Marketing of Vans the Americas.

To learn more about Vans Custom Culture 2021 and register your school, head to customculture.vans.com and to watch some how-to lessons from Vans art ambassadors head to Vans’ YouTube Channel.

Vans Makes This Holiday Season Extra Special with a Digital Coloring Book that Creates One-of-a-Kind Vans Custom Footwear

Nov 23 20 under Art, Customs, General Release | Comments Off

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

This holiday season, Vans, the original action sports footwear and apparel brand, promotes creative expression and personalization through a digital-first coloring book for Vans fans to click, color and create to make their own custom work of art. Vans partners with Philadelphia-based artist, Andy Rementer, to design three holiday-themed pieces featuring various quirky characters, objects and typography to spread Vans holiday cheer. Visit Vans.com/makeitspecial now to choose your artwork and send to a friend, family or loved one. Users can download their personalized artwork and make it into their very own one-of-a-kind pair of Vans Customs.

There’s no better way to make this holiday season special than with a personalized gift. Through Vans’ holiday customization campaign, you can color and customize your own art, upload it to Vans Customs, and choose from various Classic footwear models including the Vans Authentic, Era, Classic Slip-On, Old Skool or Sk8-Hi styles watch your design come to life. You can size, scale and compliment your art with a range of materials, patterns and design details to make your own, one-of-a-kind pair of Vans. Those looking for their own custom carryall can even add their artwork to a Vans Backpack.

As an added bonus, Vans Family members will be able to unlock access to three exclusive fleece options including an action sports-inspired fleece pullover in addition to a music and art-inspired crewneck fleece each featuring art and illustrations by artist, Andy Rementer. Vans Family members will have to sign-in to have access to purchase the exclusive fleece designs beginning this November.

Make this holiday season special with Vans by getting creative and expressing yourself at Vans.com/makeitspecial. Create your own work of art or design your one-of-a-kind Vans Customs today!

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Vans – U-Color Collection (Available Now!)

Aug 14 20 under Art, Customs, General Release | Comments Off

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

Words via Vans:

“Vans’ latest delivery of Classic footwear enables creativity and personalization by allowing you to customize and create your own pair of Vans. As a nod to the early days of Vans, the U-Color collection lets you creatively express your personal style and make your Vans your very own. The U-Color collection is available now at select Vans retail stores and online at Vans.com.

Drawing inspiration from the Vans fans who use their footwear as a creative canvas, the U-Color collection features an Era that has a blank checkerboard pattern atop each of the panels, a true white tongue, and laces and eyelets to make your own checkerboard design or new pattern. The sidewall of the Era showcases “fill in the blanks” for fans to make a statement and express their individuality. A second Era footwear style highlights a hand-drawn floral motif and leaves each of the flowers open to fill in and color. Whether you stay inside the lines or choose to go beyond, the U-Color collection enables creativity during an inspiring time of expression and personal style.”

The U-Color collection is available to shop in Vans retail location and online at Vans.com now.

SUPPORT UTP BY CLICKING THROUGH TO THE VANS STORE ON THE PIC ABOVE

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Vans Customs – Class of 2020 Print (Now Available!)

May 27 20 under Customs, General Release | Comments Off

DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission.

Just in time for graduation, Vans has created a special print on the Vans Customs website, allowing you to create a totally customizable pair of Vans for yourself, or as a gift to your graduate. Head on over to the Vans website to start building your own pair, by clicking on the pic above!

Vans Customs – “Foot The Bill” Initiative (500 pairs per collab)

Mar 27 20 under Art, Bands, Collaborations, Customs, Heritage, History | Comments Off

Message from Steve Van Doren:

Dear Vans Family,
We know how important small businesses are, we were one. You helped us become what we are, and we want to help our community and extended members of our Vans Family during this difficult time. We have partnered with local and community driven skate shops, restaurants, art galleries and music venues to support them with custom designed Vans footwear. Net proceeds* from the sale of each pair of Vans Customs will go directly to our small business partners in this time of need. With the purpose of continuing to enable creative expression, please join us as we lend a helping hand to our Vans Family.

Keep Going,

Steve Van Doren

Thoughts from us here at UTP:

This is what a real community looks like. We’ve been saying it for years, and it’s why we’ve worked hard to foster and protect our Vans culture. We don’t want it to be exploited, or turned out for the next culture vulture to profit and thrive off of. Under The Palms has been doing this Vans shit for a very long time, enough to see many come and go through our ranks, and it’s the ones who’ve stuck around and didn’t get caught up in all the weekly trends who get our continued support. On a larger scale, this is what Vans is doing for their skate shop partners who could use this opportunity right about now. It’s awesome, and it’s pretty damn cool. So far, the Foot The Bill webpage has 3 submissions: 510 Skateboards, 35th Ave/North, and Kingswell, but I assume more will come soon, so keep checking back. Each collab, has their own custom artwork that you can apply to the toe panel of the Classic Slip-On (currently the only style available), but you can fully customize the rest of the shoe per usual. This is where you get to make something cool, and completely unique, all while supporting your favorite collaborator. I created my own “510 Skateboarding” Slip-On, which I think came out pretty sick. Check it out on our Instagram. Don’t forget to share your own creations, and use the #FOOTTHEBILL and #VANSFOOTTHEBILL hashtags!

What is Vans “Foot The Bill”?

Vans “Foot The Bill” initiative aims to assist the creative communities of our extended Vans Family around the world during this difficult time. Using our Vans Customs platform, we invite you to express your creativity and be a designer to your favorite Vans shoe, all while supporting the skate shops, music venues, art galleries, restaurants and local hangouts that enable your creative self-expression every day.

How many total partners will you be supporting?

We are committed to supporting at least 80 local and community driven small businesses including skate shops, music venues, art galleries and restaurants. Though, this amount does not include all of the amazing partners that we work with around the world, we are hopeful this program will help our communities get through this unprecedented time.

How did you select your partners?

We worked closely with our team to identify community driven small businesses like skate shops, music venues, art galleries and restaurants that have been directly impacted by COVID-19.

What portion of the proceeds will be donated to each partner?

All proceeds less the cost of production and shipment will be paid to the local and community driven skate shops, restaurants, art galleries and music venues.

How many pairs are being sold per partner?

Vans will be producing up to 500 pairs of Custom Vans per partner, based on demand.

How long will these designs be available to shop?

These one-of-a-kind designs will be available until the limit has been reached. Once they are sold out they will no longer be available. So be sure to get creative while supplies last!

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