Vans Hat

About Vans

The first Vans store opened in 1966 when brothers Paul Van Doren and Jim Van Doren, along with Gordon C. Lee, opened it as the Vans Doren Rubber Company in Anaheim, California. In 1976, Vans launched the Vans Era collection, which became the No. 1 choice for skateboarders. The “Off The Wall” logo also debuted, which continues to be a signature on Vans shoes, clothing, and accessories to this day. The following year, the first skate shoes, known to all as the “Old Skool,” were released, while a little later the “Vans Classic Slip-Ons” arrived to become must-haves for skateboarders and BMX-lovers! The “Sk8-Hi” in a mid-cut design was released in 1978, while in 1988 the first signature skate shoe was released, by Steve Caballero. Vans began creating a series with action sports, such as BMX, skateboarding, surfing, the “Vans Triple Crown Series”. Many athletes wearing Vans Snowboard Boots, won Olympic Medals, making the quality and performance of Vans shoes known. Vans actively supports the skate community by creating skate parks in Orange and Huntington Beach, California, as well as in London.

Having made major collaborations such as 2005 with Marc Jacobs and Takashi Murakami, it creates sought-after signature releases. Vans has released many collectible thematic collections such as “Vans x The Simpsons”, “Disney x Vans”, “Marvel x Vans”, Vans X National Geographic and “Vans x Harry Potter”. It has also collaborated with major bands such as Metallica and the Beatles, as well as with singer and songwriter SZA. In addition to shoes, it also released the first surf film “Get-N Classic, Vol.1”, as well as the first skater championship “Vans Park Series”. In 2015, it won the “Brand of the Year” award and in 2017, it made another big collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. Today it continues to inspire skaters around the world while in 2022 it addressed freestyle BMX enthusiasts by organizing the BMX Waffle Cup.