Vans is Doing Everything Right

The Mayor of Philadelphia was on hand to cut the ribbon on a new plaza outside the Municipal Services Building smack dab in the middle of the city last month. Before officially opening the $18 million renovation, Mayor Parker brought out local Philly skateboarder and Vans sales rep Pat Heid to say a few things. After decades of contentious relations between Philly leadership and the city’s skate scene, Heid helped break through the red tape, pushing for a skate-friendly section using ledges from the old Muni plaza and other long-gone iconic Philly spots and securing a $300,000 push from Vans to help build it.

With the red tape gone and a ribbon in its place, Heid presented Mayor Parker with a pair of checkerboard Vans Slip-Ons to match the checkerboard tiles that now border the plaza’s skate section.

From its home base in Southern California to Philly, and every sneaker store in between, Vans has spent the past year doing everything right, and the downtown celebration felt like a crowning achievement for the brand’s current moment. After the event, the scene moved a few blocks east to an after-party at Lapstone & Hammer, where the other side of Vans’ recent success story can be seen in frequent line-ups for Pearlized Old Skools and OTW collabs.

In a sneaker market that’s hard to crack and even harder to find consistency, Vans has been firing on all cylinders, holding strong to its skate base while re-establishing the Off The Wall (OTW) program with industry-influencing accessories, carefully curated collabs, and a design mentality that calls back to the best era of sneaker stories.

No Collab Necessary

There’s been a significant shift in the sneaker industry over the past couple of decades. In the early days of brands like Nike SB, story concepts for colorways started with wild ideas and pop culture references. Over the years, though, as the sneaker industry grew and major brands outside of sneakers saw the cultural value in collaboration, off-label ideas started getting cease and desist letters, and Crocs-style licensed partnerships became the norm.

At Vans, a recent collection of luxury handbag colorways has been a clear take on Chanel designs, skipping the en-vogue high-fashion collab model for a wink and a nod to the Souvenier, La Habana, and quilted Flap Bags made famous by the fashion house.

As the AP x Swatch hype brings the high-low fashion collab back to top-of-mind across culture, Vans is doing its part to keep the sneaker side of things rooted in the same energy that got us here instead of jumping from one fashion house collab to the next.

Not satisfied? Still want to pay $500 retail for a pair of designer Slip-Ons? Don’t worry, Winston, the Valentino x Vans collab has that side of things covered, too.

Diamonds are a Brand’s Best Friend

You can’t talk Vans these days without jumping into jewelry. The Vans Pearlized Packs, with their borders of set stones and faux gems, have done more to reinvigorate the OTW label than anything else. Taking the Old Skool silhouette to a luxurious place, the collection debuted in late 2024 and has since caused line-ups and served as a life vest for floundering resellers.

The Pearlized Pack has long left containment, with crypto-themed luxury streetwear brand Satoshi Nakamoto repurposing the concept for its ongoing Vans collab, and brands across the industry adding their own gems, jewels, and beads to catch up. But while Puma tries their best with the recently released Sinclair collab covered in silver studs, we’re not expecting a sell-out and secondary market spike on them like we see with every single recent Pearlized Pack drop.

For a brand that has largely made its name in skateboarding, the ability to walk the tightrope and split limited release and exclusive drops at skate shops and boutiques has kept Vans in demand across subcultures, with a steady supply of mall pairs ready for the trickle-down effect to high schoolers and the rest of the late-to-the-party trend riders.

Unlike Nike SB, which splits the difference between sneakerheads and skaters in skate shops, Vans has largely separated its drops into skateable and not. So while sneakerheads fight it out for the Satoshis, Vans’ skate line has been experimenting with silhouettes like the Palace collab-debuted Safe Low, letting Dime redesign the Era, and dropping Half Cab colorways for Crenshaw Skate Club that have gone under the radar in sneaker circles, but still do well on skate shop shelves.

Keeping it Core

After the downtown Philly ribbon cutting, the make-shift cash-for-tricks contest, and after the free drinks and checkerboard coozies ran out, and the dice game cash was consolidated in fewer pockets at the Lapstone party, the crowd made its way back to the late-night lights at the new Muni plaza, to the old benches between the newly placed checkerboard tiles for sparse skating, more beers and joints, and slurred reminiscing about the city’s skate past.

As shoe companies continue to push back into the old tropes of pre-pandemic activations, lined-up drops, and out-of-the-box marketing ideas, Vans’ involvement with the city of Philadelphia to create a new home for skateboarders is by far the coolest thing the brand has done in the past few years. The ability to connect it to local boutiques like Lapstone through OTW drops and skate shops like Nocturnal with endless signature skate models and retro classics? In Philly, that’s all just a bonus.

Vans is setting the standard for what it means to connect with consumers in the new era of sneakers, and while some brands are struggling to figure out what’s next, Vans is proving that the combination of creativity, authenticity, and a focus on fun is always a winning mix.

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com