Continuing the celebration of its 50th anniversary, Vans releases a “Van Doren Approved” collection, an assortment of footwear and apparel featuring heritage prints hand-picked by Steve Van Doren, son of Vans founder Paul Van Doren.
“I had the pleasure of creating this collection and recreating a vintage shot of me buried under the Van Doren Approved collection. Speaking to our heritage, this timeless image is inspired by a photo taken 20 years ago, which similarly brings back lots of great memories of the last 50 years of Vans,” recalls Van Doren. “This collection honors some unique heritage prints that date back to the ’70s and ’80s when this original photo was shot.”
The collection channels the spirit of Vans’ DIY-beginnings with pattern-clashing and color-contrasting footwear in old-school tones and unconventional swatch blocking. Legendary Vans prints including the iconic checkerboard, the skull pirate and the aloha leaf can be found on silhouettes such as the Sk8-Hi 38 Reissue, Era 95 Reissue, Slip-On 98 Reissue and Chukka Boot 49A Reissue.
Originally known as The Van Doren Rubber Company, Vans opened up shop in Southern California on March 16, 1966. First Vans stores offered customers the opportunity to customize and order their shoes on-site. As a result, these vulcanized sneakers elevated creative expression to new levels, a characteristic that lives on in the brand’s DNA.
