Words via Highsnobiety:
“To call The Shoe Surgeon a sneaker customizer is putting it lightly. This guy is well known for completely transforming silhouettes. Here we get a look at the master at work, as he takes a pair of Vans Old Skools, rips off the sole, and then applies an Air Force 1 sole unit. Various other details have also been altered to come up with The Shoe Surgeon’s new collaboration with ROKIT.”
Now through November 12th, design your custom-made Vans footwear, backpacks or hats with two exclusive Disney prints featuring Minnie and Mickey & Pluto! These two exclusive prints are only around for a limited time, so check them out today!
And don’t forget that Free Shipping on all $49+ orders continues!
Support Under The Palms and click on the link above!
Words via Vans:
“Following the launch of the highly covetable Disney footwear and apparel collection, Vans announces a unique addition to this offering with the introduction of two Disney prints to Vans Customs available on vans.com/customs until September 4. For the first time ever, Vans will offer accessories to Vans Customs just in time for the limited Disney print release.
Disney lends a duo of prints to Vans Customs including a canvas-colored option featuring Mickey Mouse alongside his pal Pluto and a bright pink option with leading lady Minnie Mouse. Through September 4, the young at heart can create one-of-kind models of the Vans SK8-Hi, Authentic, Slip-On, Old Skool II Backpack and Vans Trucker Hat with these new Disney designs blended with a wide range of Vans custom fabrics. Tiny tykes can also tap into the magic with footwear available in kids sizing.
Vans’ long history of customization began when the first Vans store opened in Anaheim, CALIF. down the street from the Disneyland® Resort, where Paul Van Doren produced shoes in his customers favorite fabrics. Today, Vans continues the tradition by offering fabrics in a variety of colors and designs to create over 836 million combinations of shoes and now accessories.”
The Disney footwear and accessories collection by Vans Customs retails from $35 to $85 USD and is now available at vans.com/customs. For more information and Disney products from Vans, visit vans.com/Disney. Show us your favorite Vans with #disneyandvans.
CLICK ON THE PIC ABOVE TO SUPPORT UTP AND PURCHASE YOUR OWN CUSTOM CREATION!
more pics after the jump Read More
Our friend Mark Ong (SBTG) has once again worked with his Singapore family, the Kadir Warriors, on a second series of custom Vans sneakers, this time opening up the collection to the public. If you’re a fan of his work, like we are, and appreciate what he’s been making lately, then you can pre-order your own pair of hand-painted custom leather SBTG vans. I could go on for days about the quality work and craftsmanship, but I’d rather let the pictures do the talking.
RELEASE DATE: 29TH MARCH 2015
http://sbtgsurplus.bigcartel.com
SBTG for Kadir Warriors part 2.
A Celebration of friendship between Mr Sbtg and the Kadir Warriors, we present you the 2nd instalment titled ‘Feline Fury’ on 2 iconic silhouettes.
The SK8 hi & Oldskool from the Vans Vault range.
With collaborative input between the 2, this release features 2 of Kadir Warriors favourite SBTG’s signature Camouflage paintwork, the Tiger & Leopard.
About KADIR WARRIORS
Under the bloodline of the late Mr Kadir Bin Kamari, a group of his grandchildren bonded as a crew of Vans loving enthusiasts. Calling themselves as Warriors of Kadir, they started out as a humble crew minding their own biz but soon their positive energy and love spread globally through their social media networks.
Reconnecting with 3 of the Warriors and sharing the same love for Vans, SBTG started to create custom products based on their strong family bond with intention of spreading their values and positive energy.
*MADE TO ORDER ITEM
Kindly allow 3-4 weeks production time before delivery.
more pics after the jump Read More
Check out this elaborate custom painted Blends x Vans Vault “Chili Pepper” Sk8-Hi Reissue Zip LX, by none other than our friend Mark Ong aka “SBTG or @mr_sabotage“, for our Vans community friend Dave Metcalf, who most of you know as @nu_dav on Instagram. I’m sure it was no easy decision, to send off a high-value sneaker to be completely painted over in a whole new design, but I guess when you’ve got SBTG on the job, you can ensure they will be done flawlessly and tastefully. The red base model was the perfect backdrop for the vintage military-apocalyptic aesthetic of SBTG’s “Enjoy Napalm” series, which he left the heel and part of the tongue untouched. They came out perfect, and Dave will be happy to add these to his new Vans sneaker room!
Enjoy more pics after the jump Read More
There’s a certain kind of awesomeness that comes with owning and operating Under The Palms. Who’d have ever thought that I’d be able to rub elbows with sneaker advocates like Mr. Sabotage himself, Mark Ong. In the short amount of time that we’ve gotten to know each other, he’s been a tremendous inspiration for me. He’s been in my shoes before. Arriving at a few crossroads, deciding if he should move on to other things, or rekindle the fire which was slowly starting to fade out for various reasons. As he got back into sneaker customizing, he started dabbling more into Vans, and while doing so, through Instagram and the Strictly Vans Facebook Group, he came across an old friend, Faisal, who is one of our more familiar Singapore sneaker friends, who is part of the group of cousins that go by the name “Kadir Warriors”. You may have seen a few of their members share their photos with us, and it’s no surprise that they are the unofficial Vans ambassadors of Singapore. SBTG and Faisal have known each other since the late 90s, back when they were very into vintage clothing and sneakers, and used to hang out at a mutual friend’s store named Vintage Closet in Far East Plaza. After Mark and Faisal got to talking, they both realized that their interest in this emerging Vans scene in Singapore, sort of stemmed from their love for “Vintage Japanese Americana style”. Soon after that, Mark learned about Faisal’s family, and their Kadir Warrior brotherhood, and their strong family bond. They plan out mini family reunions every so often, and their #KadirWarriors campaign keeps them all in the loop with one another. This interaction struck a chord with Mark, and reminded him of the phrase on old vintage Vans boxes, “Canvas Shoes for the Entire Family”. That is what inspired him to create a project with the Kadir Warriors. He felt that the project really encapsulates the spirit of Vans back in the day where they would customize shoes for their customers, and also capture the spirit of family.
Those factors made him pitch this idea to Faisal, and after many conversations they finalized on re-appropriating an old Vans print (spiderweb) in the spirit of the love for Vintage, adding a short for Kadir Warriors logo, as KWAR, and their signature hand sign in Bone form. They chose this print as the spiderweb was a reminder of their bond as a family.
They initially agreed on 2-3 pairs, but ended up doing 10 pairs, and even 2 T-shirt designs. Almost every pair is different in terms of pattern placement and silhouette, so each pair is essentially one-of-a-kind. Sad to say, this is a private collection, and I doubt any one of them will be selling their pairs. Sabotage is awesome for doing this for the Kadir Warriors, and I hope to see more projects like this in the future. Mark also was able to set up an interview for us, which I have prepared for you all, so that you can all get to know our friends from Singapore a little bit better. I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to kiss my ass if you don’t! Haha!
Read the interview and see tons more pics after the jump Read More
In the world of sneakers, customization has always been present. People have this need to put their personal touch on them. Sometimes it’s as simple as swapping out laces. Sometimes it’s as complex as taking apart an entire shoe, and reconstructing it with an entirely different material. There are many who are making a name for themselves in this growing custom sneaker culture, but only a handful have been able to successfully get their artistic creations reproduced by a major brand, and when you look back at all of the shoes of this genre, you have to show respect where respect’s due, and that’s with our friend here, Mark Ong, aka Sabotage. His claim to fame, is of course the Royalefam Nike SB Dunk Low aka “Sabotage Dunk”, one of my all-time favorites, but he’s also helped create some other successful releases for the likes of New Balance, DC, a custom pair of Nike’s for Kobe Bryant, and the list goes on and on. He’s always been into the punk scene, and grew up skateboarding in Singapore, so naturally, you’d think he would’ve already done some work with Vans, right? Well, no he hasn’t, and we hope that we can help get something setup for him real soon, or at least with us, on some custom project of some sort! Which leads me to our exclusive interview we have obtained with him. Being able to get closer to his roots in skate and punk rock, Mark has decided to switch his focus to Vans sneakers. He’s always worn them, but he’s sort of been loyal to the athletic sports brands that he’s been lucky to collaborate with over the years. Mark thought it was important to first reach out to the true base of Vans fans. Those who give a fuck about what he’s doing, and those who get it. Well, he’s come to the right place, and we’ve officially converted him to the dark side!
Enjoy the conversation we had a few days back, and check out the awesome video that him and NON Beijing created for this collaborative project above.
(interview starts after the jump)
Well look who’s back from the dead! theMenace is one of our long-time supporters, and he’s got quite a few custom deconstructed and reconstructed Vans shoes under his belt. Search back a few years on our blog here, and you’ll see some of the earlier customs that he created. Great work, and great concepts. His latest design is a Sk8-Hi, reconstructed in a 3M reflective digi-camo fabric. There’s a nice snakeskin jazz stripe as well, for that premium touch. He is taking orders on his website right now, so head on over to www.themenacedesigns.com to check it out, and he’s also got a kickstarter going for his digi-camo tank tops, so if you’re feeling generous, hook him up with a small donation! Great work, sir!
Words via FreshnessMag:
“Vans Custom Culture is an annual competition in which high school art classes customize four heritage styles from Vans Classics with designs that reflect the three core values of the Vans lifestyle — action sports, art and music — as well as a “local flavor” theme reflecting the school’s local roots. Last year’s winners all hailed from one school, Rio Rancho High School in New Mexico, who claimed the $50,000 grand prize for their art program. The prize-winning kicks take the form of an Authentic featuring an all-over print inspired by the geography of New Mexico; a Classic Slip-On that pays tribute to tattoo culture with ink and skin artwork; Sk8-Hi channeling the spirit of rock music with a guitar graphic across the upper; and a 106 Vulcanized that gives the nod to surf lifestyle with beach imagery. Look for the Custom Culture pack to release in March at select Vans and Journeys locations, as well as Vans’ online shop. Registration for the 2013 edition of Vans Custom Culture ends February 11th. High school art classes can sign up for this year’s contest here.”
Release Date: March 2013
more pics after the jump Read More
Currently on a little hiatus, but normally you can drop in for the live Twitch stream, or you can get caught up later on, by viewing us on our Youtube channel. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor.
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