PlayLab Builds Sterling Ruby-Inspired Skateable Structure for Frieze LA

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Info via Hypebeast:

“PlayLab has plopped a bright orange pyramid in the middle of Los Angeles Art Week. The California-based design studio has joined forces with Vans to properly commemorate the skate imprint’s new OTW line; the OTW offshoot is rooted in collaborations with trailblazing creatives and just dropped off its first drop dubbed “Clash the Wall” in collaboration with Sterling Ruby‘s S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA.

Drenched in a bright orange hue – one of Ruby’s signatures, and also one of the colorways of the “Clash the Wall” sneaker – the pyramid is a fully functioning skate ramp. The ramp stands at a whopping 12 feet tall and rests – clashes, that is – amidst an otherwise bland, void-of-color, industrial complex.

The sustainability-focused studio tapped into its archive of recycled materials to craft the statement structure, compiling a mixture of scaffolding and Skatelite paper composite to build a split-level pyramidal ramp equipped with a wall behind it.

“We wanted to take an iconic form in skate culture, the hill, and interpret it into a surreal sculpture,” PlayLab’s cofounder Archie Lee Coates IV told Dezeen of how he looked to Southern California’s skate scene to inform the design.

“At the center of the installation is a pyramid, split and shifted to create angles and edges for skaters to play off of. This pyramid is placed within a massive cyc wall, which serves both as a skate feature and an immersive visual color field.”

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31 Days of Vans 2023 – Waffleheads BBQ Event Recap Video

Just a dope recap video from the 31 Days of Vans 2023 Waffleheads BBQ at Vans HQ, shot, edited, and produced by Kevin Ancheta, for all of us. He was the guy walking around the event with the camera, filming everyone. See if he made you famous!

Steve Van Doren Hosts BBQ For 31 Days of Vans Fans At Vans HQ!

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A great community is made up of people who all have unique gifts and talents to share, and I can’t think of a better one than our Vans family. It’s been over 15 years that we’ve been fostering this culture, and we’ve met some really amazing folks along the way. Folks who’ve found unique ways to show their love and appreciation for Vans, proving that Vans is not just one thing. #31daysofvans was created by one of us. #meetthevansfam was created by one of us. Entire Vans sneaker rooms were created by one of us. A Facebook group of over 30k members were created by one of us. The most dedicated Vans sneaker blog, forum, and pioneering Instagram page in the world were created by one of us.

Our community constantly evolves and grows. The platform changes, and the one sailing the ship switches seats, but we’re all on board for the wild ride, wherever it takes us. From OTWS, to Under The Palms, to SV, to Strictly Waffles, to now Wearing Waffles. I’ve witnessed every single day of it, so recognizing how far we’ve come is hard to put into perspective, but damn. Looking back, we’ve sure done some cool shit.

I sit here trying to form the right words to show my gratitude and appreciation for @stevevandoren and the amazing team at Vans who put together this event of a lifetime for our peoples. You are our hero, and you set the example we all strive to live by. I want to thank our bro @wearingwaffles for charming Steve into creating this opportunity. We’re riding your coattails now brotha’! None of this was possible w/o our brother @newkon. NONE OF THIS! There’s so many more to thank, so sorry. I couldn’t feel more blessed, and my heart is beyond full. Let’s run this back again next year, what do you say?! -Bill

enjoy tons of pics after the jump Read More

Vans Vault & Joe Freshgoods Presents: The Party in the Basement (1.27.23)

Vault by Vans and Joe Freshgoods Announce Global Release on Vans.com and Select Vault by Vans Retailer January 27

To Celebrate the Launch House of Vans Chicago Partners with Joe Freshgoods for “The Party in the Basement” on January 27 from 9pm – 1am

 

RSVP now at HouseofVans.com

Vans Skateboarding Celebrates Brooklyn’s Skate Community with a Special Block Party (10.1.22)

Located in Brooklyn’s bustling Bushwick neighborhood, Vans’ Skate Space 198 is an NYC skater’s oasis that first opened its doors to the city’s skateboarding community in January 2020. Now, more than two and a half years later, Vans Skateboarding is celebrating Skate Space 198’s reopening with a three-day slate of festivities centered around a bangin’ block party on October 1. The Block party is a community gathering of creativity that spotlights the best of NY skateboarding, from Unity/There to Labor and KCDC skate shops to Alltimers Skateboards, Bronze 56k, and more.

On October 1, it all goes down at Skate Space 198 with a grand reopening party. Ten hours of open skate for any and all NYC shredders will be accompanied by DJ sets from Vans Skateboarding friends and family — John Cardiel, Ben Kadow, Rory Milanes, DeDe Lovelace, and Alex Dondero —plus appearances from Vans team members like Beatrice Domond, Dick Rizzo, and Justin Henry and art from Fernando Lions. Food and beverage stands will also be present, with 20% of all sales going to the Vans’ Checkerboard Fund and Stoked Mentoring to aid Skate Space 198’s winter skate programming. To close out the day, Alltimers Skateboards will premiere their latest video, ‘You Deserve It,’ supported by Vans Skateboarding.

Finally, on October 2, Quartersnacks will present “The Hangover,” a brunch-style event at Bushwick hot spot Vacations.

Vans Skate Space 198 is located at 198 Randolph Street in Brooklyn, New York, a 6-minute walk from the L train’s Jefferson Avenue stop. The block party will run from 12:00 PM to 10:00 PM on October 1. More info on Vans Skate Space 198, its programming and its open skate hours going forward can be found at vans.com/skatespace198.

@VANSSKATE #VANSNYC

Waffle Heads Summit 2022 – Event Recap

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This past weekend was our 2nd annual Waffle Heads Summit, put together by Clayton, Ed, Joey, and I (Wearing Waffles, Strictly Waffles, and Under The Palms). While Eddie and Joey had to be there in spirit, due to prior engagements, Clayton and I still managed to hold down the fort, with a little bit of assistance from Renee, Tintin, my nephew Ray, and everyone else I’m failing to mention! We also cannot express our gratitude to Tak and Mike of Blends for allowing us an awesome space to host our gatherings at. Without them, this wouldn’t be an annual thing. Thank you so much guys!

Although the pics may not show it, we had a pretty good turnout throughout the afternoon. Mostly familiar faces, as well as a few new ones. We love to see it. Special shout-out to our buddy Greg, who showed up again this year, who only keeps up to date with us through our website, so Greg, if you’re reading this, leave a comment or email me, so we can keep you in the loop on a normal basis, and just to say hello!

Some folks had to dip out early and they missed out on a very special surprise. We received a special visit from our hero, Steve Van Doren! We were stoked…shocked…humbled. To be honest, I was a little sad that everyone who showed up earlier, wasn’t there to experience it. Hell, I was sad for everyone who couldn’t make it out this year! He spent about a good hour there with us.  (It might’ve been 30 minutes, but it felt like an hour lol!). Telling stories about Vans, and going through his camera roll on his phone, showing us a bunch of top secret stuff. Upcoming projects; private projects; personal family pairs; etc. He was catering to the crowd for sure. He knew we were the sneaker fiends, and we were drooling over the stuff he was sharing. We may or may not have been sworn to secrecy. At least it sounds cooler that way, hehe.

Steve has the biggest heart. He’s exactly who you’d imagine him to be. He is the epitome of authenticity, and it’s no surprise he’s an inspiration to many, including me. As you know, he’s been busy for the past few weeks down in Huntington Beach, for the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, and if you follow him on social media, he’s not just out there sitting around and shaking hands. He’s working the booths. He’s grilling. He’s constantly on the move, all while trying to beat the brutal heat this past week. After a full Saturday of doing all that, he took time out to show up to our gathering, and chop it up about Vans. He even supported Blends and purchased a pair of Vaults! Extremely humbling, and his day wasn’t even over after that.  He still had to go back to Vans HQ to do some more filming for another project! We’re not worthy to say the least. And of course none of this would’ve even happened if it weren’t for our friend Jason. Mahalo again bro. Seriously.

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But wait, there’s more! Hehe, so if that wasn’t already a dream come true for us Vans nerds, you’ll be stoked to know that we just might get to host a gathering at Vans HQ next year, centered around our community. It’s all dependent on a few factors, like covid, other priorities, budget, etc., but we’re going to try and push hard to make this happen for us and y’all, so stay tuned! How cool would that be?! Man, we can’t wait. Until then, enjoy a few snapshots from this past weekend’s event, and do everything you can to make it out next year. You won’t want to miss it!

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Friendly Reminder: Waffle Heads Summit 2022 Is Tomorrow! (8.6.22)

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow is our 2nd annual Waffle Heads Summit, and this is our open invite to all Waffle Heads who can make it to SoCal! We’ll be gathering at our favorite Vans Vault dealer, and good friends of the Vans fam, over at Blends Costa Mesa. Show up around 2PM and hang with us.  Order up some pizza from Kuro Artisanal Pizza, and maybe have a few brews with us afterwards at one of the local breweries, or just hang if you don’t drink.  All ages welcome.  Hope to see you all there!

Blends Costa Mesa, located inside the LAB Anti-mall at 2930 Bristol St, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

31 Days of Vans 2022 Is Almost Upon Us! #31daysofvans

 

It’s almost July, and you know what that means! Who’s ready for this year’s 31 Days of Vans celebration? We are.  It’s exciting to look back at what our core Vans sneaker community has accomplished throughout the years, and the #31daysofvans social media campaign has really grown into it’s own little monster, complete with some amazing support from Vans, and specifically the Vans Family team. We have these folks to thank for last year’s Vans Family app exclusive release of the Red Half Cab, so we wanted to give them a special shout-out.

Well, we’re back at it again for Summer 2022, and we’ve been blessed with another cool Vans Family exclusive in celebration, (even though not quite specific) to “31 Days of Vans”. Now, if you’ve been paying attention to certain social media accounts, you may have seen this year’s shoe already. Vans is celebrating Tony Alva’s history with them, and have created a pretty dope, skate team inspired Authentic 44 DX. There’s also a matching long-sleeve graphic tee, so be on the lookout for these to drop sometime during the month of July!

I also can’t fail to mention this sick graphic, designed by our homie Kyle @iamrocketkyle & @poprocketcreations !  He always knocks these out of the park, and you will definitely see this being shared up on the Vans Family app again this year!!!  That’s what’s up!

We can’t wait to see what everyone shows off this year, but just remember to Wear Vans, and Be Authentic!

Waffle Heads Summit 2022 (Saturday 8.6.22)

After last year’s inaugural Waffle Heads Summit, we decided to try and make it an annual thing, so here we are with an awesome announcement. We’ve decided on a date of Saturday August 6th around 2PM for this year’s get together, once again at Blends Costa Mesa. Open to anybody who wants to come and hang out and nerd out about Vans. This time, we’ll be able to support Blends owner Tak’s new venture, and enjoy some Kuro Pizza, as the location is finally open, so come hungry and buy his amazing pizzas! Don’t forget to show up in some dope Vans. We hope to see as many of you there, as possible!

For this year’s event, we decided to offer up the commemorative event tee online, since a lot of you are only able to be there in spirit. We took last year’s graphic, and had our Vans bro Todd Emerson @tmrsn add a little bit of pizza inspiration, and gave it a green and red half-tone treatment, and found an awesome off-white colored tee to complete the authentic vintage vibe we were going for. We’re also creating an event exclusive Under The Palms Sticker-Pak that will be included with each tee order. Highly collectible. Very limited. Pre-orders are now live for one week.  If you’ve read this far, then congrats, here’s a promo code for 20% off of your order! Use code “UTPFRIENDS” at checkout. You can also choose to pick up at the event and save on shipping. Just mention it in your order comments and we’ll refund the shipping. WE WON’T BE SELLING THESE TEES ON SITE! Reading is key!

 

More than 18,000 Fans Across the World Celebrate #VansCheckerboardDay as Vans Donates Over $1M to Help Revitalize Local Communities

Today, Vans, the original action sports brand and advocate for creative expression is proud to announce that with the help of over 20 non-profit partners, the brand was able to commemorate the third-annual Vans Checkerboard Day on November 18 by encouraging more than 18,000 fans to leverage creative self-expression to better our communities around the world through events and activities across art, action sports, music, and film.  

Some of the regional activations included: 

  • Colectivo Tomate worked with the Mexico City community to transform a skatepark, keeping the local skateboarding scene. The community also created a mural painting while enjoying art workshops and skateboarding showcases.  
  • Sustainable Coastlines created an interactive art piece about plastic pollution with the community at Waikiki Beach, Hawaii while completing a beach cleanup. ​ 
  • Groundswell met at Middle School 664 in Brooklyn to create a mural and host a printmaking activation for kids and the local community.  
  • JUJU and Surf Ghana hosted a variety of activations at Besua Beach in Ghana. Activities included a beach clean-up, free surf lessons, an art performance, film screening and custom culture workshop. 
  • The Indigo Youth Movement brought together the Cape Town, South Africa community to complete a mural painting, participate in gardening and host a tie-dye workshop and kids skate lesson with the Vans team. 
  • Hackney Bumps hosted an event at the new skate obstacle created by Concrete Commanders Betong Park and inspired by designs skaters in the community had submitted leading up to Vans Checkerboard Day. The event also included graffiti painting, giveaways, and a design submission showcase. 
  • Girls in Film hosted its own mini film festival welcoming the community in London to meet fellow filmmakers and skateboarders including community screenings, industry discussions and a networking party. 

To further this mission to drive positive change, more than $1 million was donated by Vans and The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation, to 15 regional charities and global partner DoSomething.org to support the mission of revitalizing communities around the world.  

“Now almost two years into a global pandemic, community connectivity and public spaces have been in direct need of support,” says Doug Palladini, Vans Global Brand President. “As a brand that champions the power of creativity, it was important for us to utilize our third annual Vans Checkerboard Day as not just our biggest philanthropic moment of the year but to proactively take action through creative endeavors that drive positive change all around us. Whether fans participated in regional events, the TikTok challenge or showed support for the movement by wearing the Checkerboard pattern, each individual reinforced that we stand for something that makes the world a better place.” 

This year’s global partners were GoodPushGroundswellSustainable Coastlines HawaiiColectivo TomateNations Skate YouthDignity for ChildrenAnother Way of SeeingArtDream, Skateboard Academy, Hackney BumpsJuju Surf ClubIndigo Youth MovementGirls in FilmJukebox Collective and The Hub. Each of the 15 regional partners received $50,000 USD from The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation or via a direct donation from Vans to continue their impact. Vans also donated $250,000 to its global partner DoSomething.org, with $25,000 going toward scholarships.  

Vans Fans donated a total of 5 million of their own Vans Family points through the Vans app to raise an additional $25,000 for DoSomething.org scholarships and shared how they sported their checkerboard and supported their community on November 18 through the #VansCheckerboardDay challenge on TikTok which garnered over 11 billion video views. 

Since the inception of Vans Checkerboard Day in 2019, Vans has donated more than $3 million to creative charities globally, enabling creative expression in communities around the world. Vans believes that creativity is an essential part of being human and that everyone should be able to express themselves through the unique mediums that come from action sports, art, music and street culture. The Vans Checkerboard Fund at Tides Foundation was established to support Vans’ ability to provide monetary support to nonprofit organizations that provide the skills, support and opportunities needed to build a more equitable society where all have the opportunity to realize their creative potential. Organizations can visit www.vans.com/checkerboardday to learn more.