Only skaters wear Vans. At least that’s what I thought until very recently. Vans have been around since 1966 and whilst I haven’t and never skated myself (I don’t think even magic shoes could keep me on a board) have been used to seeing a pair of Vans whizz past me on the feet of an uber-cool skater atop a battered deck for as long as I can remember. Vans came about when the Van Doren Rubber Company of California decided to manufacture shoes to sell directly to public – the first style of shoe they produced are now their signature style known as Authentic.
Vans Authentic - True White. (Warning: do not look directly at them without wearing sunglasses)
In the 1970s Vans became the skater shoe of choice due to their ‘superior board-feel and grip’ (sound like I know anything about skating yet?) and soon after that they were the first company to design shoes especially for skating, developing the style we now called Era.
Vans Era Herringbone - Desert Palm/Cornsilk
So, I guess that it wasn’t an entirely stupid assumption to make…they were originally made for skaters. However, from spending time in our glorious StreetFeet store in Chichester, I’ve come to realise that it’s not just springy skateboarders who love these shoes. Why? Because not only are they designed for performance they are an extremely good-looking shoe that can be worn anywhere – dressed up or dressed down. I’m seeing the classic Era (the ‘Gingerbread‘ is a personal favourite), Madero and Authentic catch the eye of so many different people and love seeing how Vans adapt to each person’s individual style. So, we’ve got a great selection in store and online so have a look and judge for yourself. As for me, I shall be donning a pair of Old Skool and taking myself down the skatepark to practise my ollies, nollies, kickflips and liptricks…ok, ok you got me…slippers and cuppa it is.
Vans Era Gingerbtead - good enough to eat.
