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
The speed of the summer is a distant memory and the slow, cold pace of the fall has set in. It doesn’t have the excitement of the warmer months, but it’s the perfect time to sit with your thoughts and stare at the clouds. The latest collaboration from Japanese artist Yusuke Hanai and Vans takes that mood to heart, tracking the movement of the sky across a pair of Authentics.
The Yusuke Hanai x Vans Authentic 44 starts with a black canvas upper and white midsole, but that’s where the plain tendencies stop. The upper is covered in an all-over print graphic of illustrated clouds across every panel. The foxing stripe is also hand-painted with a rough look, and serves as a window sill sitting surface for a drawing of a woman and a cat sitting on the bottom of the side panel, watching the clouds go by.
Yusuke Hanai x Vans Authentic 44
Vans and Hanai have teamed up for multiple projects in the past, including a Sk8-Hi and Old Skool, but on the latest pair, the illustrator tells one of his most contained and comprehensive stories yet, an impressive feat on such a small canvas. The SoCal-based skate brand also tapped martial arts legend Gerald Okamura for an ultra-limited Slip-On with artwork from the late artist Steve Azar, but this collab with Yusuke Hanai will be more available than the 1-of-200 Okamura collab.
The Yusuke Hanai x Vans Authentic 44 will be released November 7, 2025 exclusively at the Vans Harajuku store in Tokyo, followed by a Japan-wide release on November 8, 2025. Available in men’s sizing, the retail price is still TBD. For all the latest Vans collab news, make sure to download the Sole Retriever mobile app.
