The Latest Vans Drop Is a Love Letter to Personal Style and the Evolution of Legacy
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Although I've never touched a skateboard, Vans has been a staple in my wardrobe since my school days in the 2000s. I wore an all-black pair of Authentics 'til they were busted and torn, snagged a bright blue pair as a replacement, and eventually swapped both for checkerboard slip-ons and classic black Old Skools once I got to college. Needless to say: Their durability, vivid colorways, and bold patterns bring a necessary edge to any look, and I'm still wearing them as a magazine editor in her mid-20s.
Like me, the beloved skating shoes have taken on many lives since the brand's inception in 1966. Vans have weaved into several subcultures and found a place in skate parks and punk music venues alike (Warped Tour, anyone?). They've have attracted serious star power, too—celebs like Rihanna, Tyler, the Creator, and Olivia Rodrigo have never been too cool to rock a pair of Vans.
The brand's new Premium Old Skool Music Collection is bringing the sneaker to a new generation of cultural trailblazers. With the first drop released on February 6, you can expect three unique capsules with a refreshed take on the classic design, pulling elements from the Old Skool in different eras and genres of music.
"This whole collection was an opportunity to dive deeper into that punk narrative because that was the foundation of a cultural moment and that adoption story that will then become a throughline for other generations," Vans Brand Archivist and Historian, Catherine Acosta, tells Cosmopolitan.
The first drop includes a bold leopard print design and colorways that were originally adopted by punk and hardcore musicians in the ‘70s and ‘80s—which Acosta adds is "really special" for multiple reasons.
"It has this deeper history in women's fashion history, and in punk culture, it's one of the key iconic prints and part of a lot of women's aesthetics—especially during the heyday of punk," Acosta adds. "We brought it in earlier to the collection to really pay homage to that storytelling."
Premium Old Skool Shoe
The second capsule (which drops next month!) takes us back to the pop-punk energy of Warped Tour in the ‘90s and 2000s with checkerboard patterns and flame details.
Acosta shares that the final drop—which will include vibrant colorways inspired by the new-wave hip-hop scene in the 2010s—bridges the impact of past generations with the innovation of future ones. "By that time in Vans' history, these worlds and these communities are very integrated," she explains. "There's this whole other generation of people that come and take that ethos of skateboarding and bring it with a little bit of hip-hop, but with this punk attitude with a direct understanding."
As for what that looks like in the 2020s... That's for the next gen of trendsetters to dissect.
The first drop for the Vans Premium Old Skool Music Collection is available now.
You Might Also Like
