ON THIS DAY: MARCH 16TH 1966
vans is founded
On March 16th 1966 the Doren brothers set up a rubber company making deck shoes in Anaheim, Southern California. The Vans deck shoes they went on to create have become a pop culture symbol as iconic and integral to youth culture today as they were 50 years ago.
Text by Esta Maffrett | 16.03.2022
Vans have remained popular across styles, scenes and decades but have always been most synonymous with Skaters. It was a group of surfers in Santa Monica who moved their skills onto land in dried out swimming pools that created the skater style we are so familiar with today. The Californians loved the style of vans fit of vans with their sticky soles that would keep put on your board and no laces to get caught in wheels. The original men’s model (#44) sold for $4.49 and if you only wore out one shoe you could head down to Van’s and buy a replacement individually, perfect for the budget of young kids shredding their canvas and rubber up daily. As skating became popularised so did the Vans and when they were worn in the early eighties teen flick Fast Times In Ridgemont High they would gain global recognition leading generations of kids to save their pocket money for a pair of Old Skool Vans. In 2001 Vans assisted in the production of Dogtown and Z-Boys documenting the rise of skateboarding.
Between 1996 and 2019 Vans hosted the yearly Warped Tour that would be the largest travelling music tour across the USA. The festival focused on alternative rock, punk rock & pop punk, it was a starting tour for many artists who would go on to gain global recognition. The tour was populated by young people who were able to listen to all their favourite bands in one place. Vans became a staple of streetwear style beyond sports, now loved by goths, rockers and ravers.
The cult of the sneakers is massive with young people queuing and brawling to get the most exclusive drops more often than not to resell where the market is valued at $10billion. Pillow Heat is a London based stock hunter and collector dedicated to sourcing Vans made before 1998, growing an audience keen to both wear and preserve the original styles. In 2021 London’s Design Museum launched Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street an exhibition exploring the legacy of street footwear on style and culture. Streetwear is increasingly spotlighted on runways in fashion week and trainer collaborations have become a status achievement for brands, musicians and designers. Over the years Vans have collaborated with brands from Marc Jacobs and Supreme to Crayola proving their place as both a luxury and everyday streetwear brand.
Over the month of March we are exploring DIY Fashion in youth culture. You can submit your images and stories of growing up and dressing up to our archive.