Vans was originally founded in 1966 in Southern California by brothers Paul Van Doren and Jim Van Doren. The brand was originally founded under the name “The Van Doren Rubber Company” and was later shortened to just Vans. The California brand was inspired by West Coast culture and the skateboarding lifestyle. In the early 1970s, skateboarders started taking notice of the brand and liked Van’s simple style and sticky sole that was made perfect skating. Shortly after, the Vans “Era” was invented in the mid-70s by skateboard legends Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. The era was designed with a padded collar and different color combinations which soon became the shoe of choice for the skateboarding community.

In 1976, Vans officially adopted the slogan of “Off The Wall” which can be seen across most all Vans products. Vans offers a variety of different iconic silhouettes from the Classic Slip-On, Sk8-Hi, Old Skool, Authentic and Era. Since its launch, Vans has participated in many events giving back to the skateboarding community. Vans has hosted skateboarding competitions and is most well known for sponsoring the “Vans Warped Tour” which ran for 25 years consecutively. 

Today, Vans seamlessly blurs the lines and crosses between different subculture groups from hip-hop, skate, punk, etc. making it arguably the most diverse shoe brand to date. Vans has partnered with highly-notable brands such as Disney, Supreme, Takashi Murakami, NASA and many more. The classic silhouettes and styles have been a fan favorite for every generation and continues to be a staple sneaker to fit everyone’s wardrobe.