“Vans”. Cool sneakers that will never go out of style!

Vans sneakers - the birth of the brand

It all started with Paul, who at his mother's insistence had been “treated for idleness” since age 14 by working his tail off at a shoe factory. By 20, he had risen to deputy director of the Randy`s factory, which, incidentally, was one of the three leading factories in the USA at the time. 

However, Randy`s also had unprofitable operations. The friends were sent to one of them, in Gardenville, California, and they not only pulled the Gardenville factory out of debt, but also made it more successful than the main production facility in Boston. After this experience, they decided they could do without bosses and started their own business. 

The trio founded the Van Doren Rubber Company, Van Doren's rubber company, or Vans. The factory was launched in March 1966, in Anaheim, California. That same year, they also opened their first store at the factory. 

At that time, there were only samples in different colors and sizes on the shelf. You had to wait a day for a suitable pair. This sales model saved them from the cost of producing shoes nobody needed. 

On the first day, 12 pairs were sold. More precisely, given away, since “Vans” had no way to make change. Customers received the shoes on their word of honor. However, the next day, everyone brought the money.

Vans Athletic sneakers — the birth of a legend

Back then, men's sneakers from Vans did not have names, so the first model was called No. 44. The Style 44 design (or Athletic, as they came to be called later) was based on canvas sneakers (a dense canvas material resistant to abrasion) or plimsoll shoes, that is, sneakers with a “waterline” — a line or groove on the sidewall of the sole. This line marks the level to which water can rise without the sneakers getting wet. 

In principle, early Vans were distinguished by nothing other than the combination of a thick and durable vulcanized sole with a canvas upper. Steve later recalled that during those six months the business was developing rather sluggishly, and out of 10 stores, 6 turned out to be “losers.” The Vans brothers, however, did not lose heart and launched another 10 “losers.” 

That was the case until plaid Vans sneakers met the first skateboard. It was the West Coast skaters who took a liking to the first “Athletics.” Their thick sole held up fairly well even under intensive riding.

Hit Vans, Stacy Peralta's signature sneakers

It was California BMX riders and skaters, at the dawn of the seventies, who “launched” the fashion for Vans sneakers. The Van Dorens took advantage of this by forming an alliance with star skateboarding pioneers Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. Together with them, in 1975, the brand's designers created the Vans №95 model, which eventually became known as the Era, taking into account special skater needs.

Skaters noticed that during jumps and riding, the heel wore out faster, and toes stuck out of the worn-through toe cap. Vans added protective inserts around the ankles and reinforced the rubber at the heel. Now the sneakers served their restless owners much better.

Speaking of checks. Initially, teenagers painted the sneakers by hand. When the factory found out about this, Vans launched the first “checkerboard” line. This collection, Vans №98, became the first laceless Slip-On sneaker model. 

In 1978, Vans began taking teenage athletes to skate competitions. The company gave the most famous skater a check for 300 bucks, after which he showed up at his competitions only in “Vans”. 

The hit of 1978   was the men's high-top Vans №38, which can now be bought under the name Vans Sk8-Hi. The highlight of these sneakers was the ultra-dense material that reliably protected the shins.

Vans Off the Wall breaking the mold

At that time, major brands still viewed skaters, graffiti artists, street riders, and BMX riders as losers and vandals. Vans, however, according to Stacy Peralta, took street life seriously. They gave them shoes, while others were afraid of tarnishing their image. 

An interesting detail — initially, the Van Dorens did not want it to be possible to buy original Vans sneakers anywhere outside California. In 1982, they appeared on posters for “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” with Sean Penn as the stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli. As part of the promotion, a thousand pairs of sneakers ended up at radio stations across America, and millions were sold across the country. 

That was also when the slogan Off The Wall appeared — “unusual,” “nonconformist.” At the time, the brand was developing footwear for different sports, but its main focus still remained sneakers for extreme sports enthusiasts.

Vans Full Cab sneakers by Caballero 

Another Vans star was skateboarder Steve Caballero, in collaboration with whom the Van Dorens created the high-top Full Cab sneakers. However, they turned out to be too long, so skateboarders often cut these sneakers down and taped the cut edge with adhesive tape. In the end, Caballero himself asked the brand for a redesign. That’s how the new Vans Half Cab sneakers appeared. 

In the future, the brand had the Warped Tour festival, skateboarding parties, and the Vans Park Series, “alternative” music concerts, and a collaboration with Supreme.

The brand also actively collaborated with bands, radio stations, and music brands. Vans’ partners included: 

• Iron Maiden,
• Motorhead
• Ramones
• Metallica
• Slayer
• Kiss

Vans Top Models: The Return of the Classics

After the purchase of the Van Doren company by VF Corporation (Timberland, North Face and Lee), a relaunch of the classics took place. It suddenly turned out that despite having kids' Vans sneakers or shoes for surfers, women's Vans sneaker models or capsule new arrivals in the assortment, classic models bring in 80% of the profit. 

The classic “core” of the brand now consists of: 

• Old Skool
• Slip-On
• Authentic
• Sk8-Hi
• Pro Skate
• Pro Classi 
• Half Cab 
• Classic

They also make up the classic design code of Vans sneakers in the official online store vans.com. The average check for bestsellers ranges between $50 (4 000 rubles) and $70 (5 400 rubles).

Vans sneakers ordering and delivery to Russia

Considering the affordable shipping rates from America at the US package delivery service Pochtoy.com this is an excellent option to buy Old School, Sk8-Hi, Authentic, and many other men's and women's Vans sneakers without fakes and overpayments. 

Choose the hits that fit you and Prostobox.com will quickly and hassle-free deliver your purchases to your city. To Moscow, the delivery cost for a package weighing 0,5 kg will be about 6,99 USD.

We work with the most famous stores in the USA:

- Amazon is a famous American online store with delivery to Russia and Ukraine.

- Ebay is a famous American online store with delivery to Russia and Ukraine.

Where and when are Vans the cheapest?