VANS BRAND TAKES LIKING TO KEVIN LYONS’ MONSTROUS MURAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 11, 2016
For more information:
Victoria Cotnoir
Vans, Inc.
833 Montlieu Ave
404.436.4433
RALEIGH, N.C.— Famed artist Kevin Lyons created possibly the biggest mural to inhabit Raleigh, NC, over the weekend of February 5, 2016. Lyons was inspired to create this massive mural by the Youth Anti-Smoking Campaign, Truth.
Truth is a project of Truth Initiative, which is a national public health organization that aims to achieve a culture where all youth refuses tobacco and also a campaign that is near and dear to Lyons’ heart. “I was ecstatic when I was contacted by Vans about turning my one piece of art into 500 million pieces of art. Now, when each person buys a pair of these Vans, they will know what Truth’s mission is and think twice before buying a pack of smokes on their 18th birthday. My mother died from lung cancer because she started smoking at the age of 16. She was never warned, so she never quit.”
With street murals, there’s no denying that more graffiti will go over these little monsters. But have no fear- the artwork from the mural was replicated for a limited-edition Vans shoe design. So now the design and meaning of the wall will live on no matter what. Below is the video that was released to promote Vans and Lyons’ project to promote Truth.
This shoe became available in Vans and Journeys stores nationwide beginning January 20th, retailing for $60 per pair. Many reviewers are describing the shoes as similar to the Keith Haring shirts for the popular clothing store, Uniqlo. Many Uniqlo shoppers actually desire the Vans shoes to be available for purchase in more stores, such as Uniqlo. Manhattan native Susie Geller claims, “Honestly, I want a pair of these in every color. I’m so about the design, but when I found out there was a mural with meaning behind it, I lost it.”
When asked to comment on if Vans will be expanding the shoes to different stores and offering different colors, Vans representative John Gilmore replied, “We came out with this product for two reasons: we absolutely adore Kevin Lyon’s work and our company is an avid supporter of the truth campaign. The fact that these shoes have gotten such good feedback warms my heart. We will continue to make our supporters happy, and will do whatever that takes.”
Combining campaigns, artwork and fashion merchandising seemed to prove extremely uplifting to all involved in the trade. Each party involved only had good things to say about the combined works. The CEO of Vans, Jerry Singer, stated that he “has never felt so good about selling a pair of shoes in his life.”
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