“They slip in and out real easy, like blunts
you can get different colors, like rainbows
Since 1966, Vans had set a trend
I got a blue pair, yeah, in a size 10
Get your grown man on, when you wear top-siders…
Slip ‘em off, slip ‘em on, cuff in my pants
So they don’t get torn in the back
It’s a punk rock shoe, with a logo in the back”
And so goes The Pack’s 2006 hyphy hit “Vans.” The hit track not only helped introduce a whole new audience of sneaker enthusiasts to the classic shoe, but The Pack rapper Lil Uno spit some serious truths when he mentioned that Vans have set a trend since 1966.
On March 16, 1966, in the town of Anaheim, California, Paul Van Doren opened The Van Doren Rubber Company, the first brick-and-mortar Vans location bearing the original name. The Van Doren Rubber Company’s original styles sold in the store were unique in the sense that the company would manufacture the shoes on the spot and then sell them directly to the public. The popular story goes that during The Van Doren Rubber Company’s first open day, 12 customers purchased sneaker styles in the morning and picked up the finished products later in the afternoon. This first range of Vans styles would come to be known as Authentics.
During the ‘70s, skateboarding culture began to play a major part in the development of the brand’s sneaker styles. In 1975, skate icons Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta designed the “Era” style, which would become the shoe of choice for a generation of skateboarders thanks to its padded collar, sticky waffle sole bottom, and distinct color variations. Fast-forward two decades later, Vans would help finance the production of Peralta’s award-winning Dogtown and Z-Boys documentary, which showcases a Vans sneaker on its poster as well as on the feet of various skate legends throughout the film.
By the late ‘70s, a new trend was taking shape: young kids were beginning to color in the waffle sole bottoms of their shoes and Vans took notice. In 1982, Vans Slip-Ons had their official mainstream debut thanks to Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli character in the cult-classic film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Spicoli sported black-and-white checkered slip-ons, inspired by waffle sole doodles, throughout the movie, and they even appeared on the cover of the film’s soundtrack. Leave it to a pair of Vans to beat out Phoebe Cates’ bikini-drop moment.
In the late ‘80s, Vans expanded its sneaker styles to include a line of wrestling, basketball, and skydiving shoes. Yes, there is such a thing as skydiving sneakers… But by the mid-’90s, Vans returned back to its roots with the introduction of the brand’s first 46,000 square-foot Vans Skatepark in Orange County. The brand would go on to open skateparks around the coun
you can get different colors, like rainbows
Since 1966, Vans had set a trend
I got a blue pair, yeah, in a size 10
Get your grown man on, when you wear top-siders…
Slip ‘em off, slip ‘em on, cuff in my pants
So they don’t get torn in the back
It’s a punk rock shoe, with a logo in the back”
And so goes The Pack’s 2006 hyphy hit “Vans.” The hit track not only helped introduce a whole new audience of sneaker enthusiasts to the classic shoe, but The Pack rapper Lil Uno spit some serious truths when he mentioned that Vans have set a trend since 1966.
On March 16, 1966, in the town of Anaheim, California, Paul Van Doren opened The Van Doren Rubber Company, the first brick-and-mortar Vans location bearing the original name. The Van Doren Rubber Company’s original styles sold in the store were unique in the sense that the company would manufacture the shoes on the spot and then sell them directly to the public. The popular story goes that during The Van Doren Rubber Company’s first open day, 12 customers purchased sneaker styles in the morning and picked up the finished products later in the afternoon. This first range of Vans styles would come to be known as Authentics.
During the ‘70s, skateboarding culture began to play a major part in the development of the brand’s sneaker styles. In 1975, skate icons Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta designed the “Era” style, which would become the shoe of choice for a generation of skateboarders thanks to its padded collar, sticky waffle sole bottom, and distinct color variations. Fast-forward two decades later, Vans would help finance the production of Peralta’s award-winning Dogtown and Z-Boys documentary, which showcases a Vans sneaker on its poster as well as on the feet of various skate legends throughout the film.
By the late ‘70s, a new trend was taking shape: young kids were beginning to color in the waffle sole bottoms of their shoes and Vans took notice. In 1982, Vans Slip-Ons had their official mainstream debut thanks to Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli character in the cult-classic film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Spicoli sported black-and-white checkered slip-ons, inspired by waffle sole doodles, throughout the movie, and they even appeared on the cover of the film’s soundtrack. Leave it to a pair of Vans to beat out Phoebe Cates’ bikini-drop moment.
In the late ‘80s, Vans expanded its sneaker styles to include a line of wrestling, basketball, and skydiving shoes. Yes, there is such a thing as skydiving sneakers… But by the mid-’90s, Vans returned back to its roots with the introduction of the brand’s first 46,000 square-foot Vans Skatepark in Orange County. The brand would go on to open skateparks around the coun