About Vans
In 1966, brothers Paul and Jim Van Doren, along with Gordon C. Lee, opened the first Vans store in Anaheim, California, which was named Vans Doren Rubber Company. In 1976, Vans launched the Vans Era collection, which became a favorite among skateboarders, and that's when the famous “Off The Wall” logo made its appearance. The following year, the first skate shoes, known as "Old Skool", were released, while "Vans Classic Slip-Ons" soon followed, which became an absolute must-have for skateboarders and BMX-lovers. The “Sk8-Hi” was introduced in 1978, and in 1988 the first signature shoe was released, by Steve Caballero. Vans started creating a series with action sports such as BMX, skateboarding and surfing under the name “Vans Triple Crown Series”. Many athletes wearing Vans Snowboard Boots have won Olympic medals, proving the quality of their boots. In 2005, Vans teamed up with Marc Jacobs for the “Vault by Vans” line, and a few years later, Takashi Murakami took over the line. Vans has released many collectible themed collections such as “Vans x The Simpsons”, “Disney x Vans”, “Marvel x Vans”, “Vans X National Geographic” and “Vans x Harry Potter”. He has also collaborated with legendary bands such as Metallica and the Beatles. In addition to shoes, Vans also released the first surf movie “Get-N Classic, Vol.1” and organized the first skater championship “Vans Park Series”. In 2015, Vans won the “Brand of the Year” award and in 2017, it made a major collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. Today, “The Anaheim Factory” series is released as a tribute to the first factory in Anaheim.
