Happy 50th, Vans! See 50 Rare Pairs From the Archives of the Iconic Shoe Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Vans1/50Vans Era Decon CA (2014)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans2/50Vans Authentic (2016)
“In honor of Vans’s 50th anniversary, I created a special shoe for all of our Vans family members and employees. This Authentic uses iconic Vans logos and prints from the past 50 years, and it is marked with a special Vans Family heel scab.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans3/50Vans Authentic (early 2000s)
“This is a pair of Authentics that was hand-painted and gifted to me by a local artist. While I am on the road, I sometimes get gifts from Vans fans that use our Vans as a canvas for their own artwork.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans4/50Vans Authentic (2001)
“This is a special limited-edition shoe that we made for the premiere of Lords of Dogtown in Park City, Utah. The Authentic is royal blue with Dogtown emblems all over it.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans5/50Vans Authentic (early 2000s)
“This is a pair of shoes that I had custom-made for me out of a piece of Hoffman fabric.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans6/50Vans Authentic (early 2000s)
“I bought fabric while I was on vacation in Australia and brought it home to make a pair of custom shoes.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans7/50Vans Authentic Platform (1978)
“This is a special pair of Made in the USA platform Authentics that were my daughter Kristy’s when she was young.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans8/50Vans Checkerboard Slip-On (1970s)
“When Sean Penn wore the Checkerboard Slip-On on his head in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, it really put Vans on the map. [This style] will always be one of my favorite pairs of Vans.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans9/50Vans Classic Slip-On (2016)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans10/50Vans Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans11/50Vans Classic Slip-On (early 2000s)
“I have a sports jacket with this graphic printed on the back, so I had a pair of custom Slip-Ons made to match.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans12/50Vans Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans13/50Vans Classic Slip-On (2004)
“I had a special pair of Slip-Ons made for Eric Wiseman, the president of VF Corp., and the VF crew to welcome them to the Vans family. VF acquiring Vans in 2004 was a huge turning point for our brand, since it has helped us make it to our 50th anniversary.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans14/50Vans Classic Slip-On (2006)
“This is a custom pair of shoes I had made out of Hoffman fabric because I was invited to a poker tournament during the SIA trade show. These must have been my lucky shoes, because I won the tournament and was invited to the World Series of Poker that year.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans15/50Vans Classic Slip-On (early 2000s)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans16/50Vans Classic Slip-On (2010)
“I purchased some raw deer hide while traveling and brought it back with me to make a set of custom Slip-Ons in navy, white, and golden yellow.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans17/50Vans Classic Slip-On (2010)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans18/50Vans Classic Slip-On (2010)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans19/50Vans Classic Slip-On (2016)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans20/50Vans Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans21/50Vans Classic Slip-On
“I am always experimenting with denim to find just the right wash and detail for a pair of Vans. This was a pair I made out of raw denim as a test.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans22/50Vans Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans23/50Vans Classic Slip-On (1964)
“In 1964, my family and I were lucky to meet the Duke [Kahanamoku, of Hawaiian shirt fame] in Huntington Beach, California, and my father made custom Vans out of the Duke’s Hawaiian-print shirts for him and the surf team.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans24/50Vans Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans25/50Vans Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans26/50Vans Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans27/50Vans Classic Slip-On Lite (2015)
“The Slip-On is my favorite Vans model of all time, so when we introduced the Classic Lites collectsion, I was blown away by how lightweight we were able to make our shoes, and just how comfortable they are.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans28/50Vans Old Skool
Photo: Courtesy of Vans29/50Vans Serio (1983)
“This model of the Serio was made for baseball players so that it could be worn on the field. The shoes are made of leather, with the Vans flying V logo and cleats on the bottom.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans30/50Vans Carver (late 1990s)
“This collectsion of chukka-inspired boots was created just for me. I had black croc-embossed leather, micro-woven leather, and even flames!”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans31/50Vans Carver (late 1990s)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans32/50Vans Carver (late 1990s)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans33/50Unnamed Vans (1968)
“This pair of shoes never went into production, but it is one of the strongest pairs of shoes we have ever produced! It’s made of full-grain leather with a double-reinforced toe. The leather graphic along the sides was inspired by engine headers that were on muscle cars.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans34/50Vans Sk8-Hi Lite (2015)
Photo: Courtesy of Vans35/50Vans Half Cab Pro
Photo: Courtesy of Vans36/50Vans Old Skool Pro
Photo: Courtesy of Vans37/50Vans Checkerboard Slip-On (2010)
“I created custom shoes for my daughter Kristy’s wedding in 2010. My son-in-law, Roy, and all of his groomsmen wore these custom Checkerboard Slip-Ons with their suits.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans38/50Vans Classic Slip-on (2013)
“In 2013, I was honored to receive the Eric Stricker award from the TransWorld Skateboading editorial staff, in honor of TWS editor Eric Stricker, for all of my work in the skateboarding industry. I had these shoes made exclusively for Eric’s wife and myself.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans39/50Vans Classic Slip-On
“This is a special pair of Vans that my son-in-law, Roy, had made for me when they told me that my daughter Kristy was expecting my grandson, Baylen.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans40/50Vans Golf Shoe (2007)
“Every year at the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, we host a golf tournament for all of our Vans family in town for the competition. This year we created exclusive Vans ‘Off the Ball’ golf shoes that had our checkerboard pattern and side stripe to wear on the putting green.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans41/50Vans x Disney Classic Slip-On (2015)
“Vans has a long-standing history with Disneyland. In the ’80s, we created special shoes that were worn by Disney park employees as part of their costumes, and later we released a specialty capsule of Vault by Vans x Disney shoes that were so popular that they sold out. I was very excited that we released a Classic in 2015 that everyone was able to enjoy. We even got Mickey Mouse in a pair of red sneakers!”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans42/50Vans x Pendleton x Nibwaakaawin Classic Slip-On
“We have partnered with Pendleton to release a special capsule of Vans that benefit the Nibwaakaawin’s All Nation Skate Jam. The program works to empower native youth, inspire creativity and pride, and promote physical activity through skateboarding.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans43/50Vans x Pendleton x Nibwaakaawin Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans44/50Vans x Pendleton x Nibwaakaawin Classic Slip-On
Photo: Courtesy of Vans45/50Vans x Robert Crumb (2012)
“We partnered with comic book artist Robert Crumb on a special collectsion of Vans that featured his artwork on our footwear silhouettes. The Fritz the Cat model was my favorite from this collectsion.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans46/50Vault by Vans Classic Slip-On LX (2006)
“Our Vault by Vans line is our premium take on Vans classic footwear silhouettes. The Classic Slip-On LX uses our traditional Slip-On form but with upgraded leather.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans47/50Vault by Vans x Huichol (2014)
“We were incredibly honored to partner with the Huichol Tribe to present a collectsion of handcrafted footwear that featured their intricately colorful handwoven yarn and beaded detailing atop our Vault footwear styles.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans48/50Vault by Vans TH Piragua x Horween Leather
“Taka Hayashi is a talented designer who Vans is lucky to have as part of our footwear design team. He creates specialty capsule collectsions within our Vault by Vans line that draw inspiration from his travels and cultural upbringing. This pair has beautiful etched Horween leather detailing.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans49/50Vault by Vans Classic Slip-On LX (early 2000s)
“This is an early pair of our Slip-On LX from our Vault by Vans line, made with Italian leather. The sleek look of these shoes always makes them a favorite whenever I find myself wearing a suit.”
Photo: Courtesy of Vans50/50Vault by Vans x Taka Hayashi Slip-On 69 LX (2014)
