This past weekend was Born Free 8, Southern California’s premier motorcycle builder’s show, where Blends released their latest classic Vans shoe, in collaboration with Born Free. The OG Old Skool LX that they went with, is simple, and designed for the classic Vans enthusiast, which includes many folks in the vintage bike builder crowd. To most of these builders and fans, they could care less about rare and limited shoes, with fancy materials, colorways, but they do like classic, time-tested, designs like the classic black & white Old Skool. Blends and Born Free wanted to create something specific to this crowd, and the customization was kept to a bare minimum. Hardly noticeable, are the slim red and blue pieces of leather protruding from the top and bottom of the classic white jazz stripe, giving off a truly Americana aesthetic. The only other customized part of the shoe, would be the translucent sole, with checkerboard bottom, and custom branded footbeds, both which are hardly seen, but are there to let you know these aren’t your typical pair of Vans Old Skools. Materials are the same as you’d find on any pair of Vault OG shoe, including the pigskin lining. These shoes were a must for me and a few others, thus the reason about 9 of us got to Born Free 8 early in the morning, about 3 hours before the gates opened, just to secure pairs for ourselves and friends from all over the globe. It was a surprisingly easy release, but online pairs sold out instantly. I hope you enjoy a few personal unfiltered pics I took, and be on the lookout for any pairs that go up for sale!
more pics after the jump
