It’s been ages since I’ve been able to sit down and write up a personal review on a sneaker release, but you’ve caught me on a good week and I’m in the mood to do one, so here goes!
Today we are reviewing END Clothing’s first official Vault by Vans collab, as far as I know. I’ve been sharing Vans collabs for many years and I don’t have anything documented, and THE Google doesn’t find anything either! With that being said, we are seeing the results of a brand that knows things. END has been a Vault dealer for a long time, and they have to have a pretty good finger on the pulse of what Vans enthusiasts want, as well as what their clientele want. They’ve managed to create something that’s unique, timeless, and high fashion without adding any gimmicks or trends. Unique, because of the material and patterns used. Timeless, because of the simple black and marshmallow colorways chosen, and high fashion because of the premium soft supple leather that was chosen for each shoe. Not to mention, the packaging. Each raffle-drawn winner received their pair in a custom velveteen wrapped box, with the custom knitted V print and END Clothing logo front and center. Another unique aspect of the release. One of my favorite subtle features, is the white contrasting foxing stripe, set in between the marshmallow sidewall foxing. There is also minimal END branding on the footbed, just to let you know whose collab this is. Each pair comes with a set of wide flat nylon laces, as well as a set of nylon paracord laces. Either one is fine with me.
I’d like to say that this release kind of just showed up out of nowhere. No big hype behind it, but END released both pairs through their online raffle system, and they sold out! Congratulations on that one! These are one of those pairs that you don’t really give it a thought, until you either see some up close detailed shots of the material and true colors, or you see them on somebody’s feet. Either way, you’ll have to wait to find your pair through the grubby little hands of a reseller now. I’d like to thank Simon at END, and Nick at Vans UK for the always appreciated support!
more detailed pics after the jump
