Vans “Off the Wall”
An Icon of California Culture
Intro:
Have you left your footprint behind on this Earth? Anyone can have the power to leave their footprint behind in their lifetime. Vans, a small locally owned business turned into a multi-million dollar corporation, now an icon of California culture, with intentions on changing the world and leaving their footprint behind.
Vans “Off the Wall” was established in 1966. It was founded by two brothers Paul and Jim Van Doren along with their partners Gordon Lee and Serge Delia. Originally called The Van Doren Rubber Company, they created a unique business in which they manufacture shoes on the premises and sell them directly to the public. They opened for business at 704 E. Broadway in Anaheim, California on March 16th. On their grand opening morning, 12 customers purchased shoes, which were made that day and ready for pick-up later on.
It wasn’t until the early 70’s that skateboarders who liked the rugged make-up and sticky soles were seen sporting Vans all over Southern California. By 1976, the name of the company had officially been set as Vans and the “Off the Wall” logo debuted. By the time the 70’s came to a wrap, Vans had 70 stores in California and would sell through dealers both nationally and internationally.
The Vans Company hit a roadblock in 1984 when they filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The core Vans shoes were selling well but the wide range of products that Vans offers has drained the company’s resources and they are not able to overcome their debts. Meanwhile, to overcome this obstacle, Vans got the courts to approve their re-organization plan as Paul Van Doren returns as President. After 3 years, Vans was able to pay back all creditors 100 cents on the dollar and in December of 1987, Vans re-emerged from the $12 million debt and chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Styles:
Vans has had two feet planted firmly in skate and surf culture, and has grown to be equally revered in the worlds of action sports, music, art and street fashion. Vans are now synonymous with the effortless cool of Southern California style. With several different styles of shoes, these are the top five most popular silhouettes:
The Slip-On: The laidback and comfortable Slip-On has been an emblem of skate and surf culture since its debut in 1977. From music festivals to movies, the black and white checkerboard Slip-On is immediately identifiable as a Vans signature, and was even Jeff Spicoli’s shoe of choice in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
The Authentic: It doesn’t get any more classic than this, and this shoe was named for a reason. The Authentic has been a Vans staple since the company was founded in 1966, and it has been worn by skaters and surfers ever since.
The Old Skool: The Old Skool appeared on the scene in 1978, and was the first shoe to feature the now iconic Sidestripe. Drawn by company founder Paul Van Doren and originally dubbed the “jazz stripe,” the Sidestripe is Vans’ most enduring emblem of creativity.
The Sk8-Hi: The Sk8-Hi closely followed the Old Skool in 1978 and was the second design to show off a Sidestripe. Its style and above-the-ankle padding took skate shoes to the next level. In the decade since, the Sk8-Hi has since become a wear-everywhere staple and an enduring symbol of street culture.
The Era: The Era was the first skate shoe, designed in 1976 with help from Dogtown skateboarding legends Tony Alva and Stacey Peralta. It has the same clean lines as the Authentic, but with a padded collar and extra sturdy construction, built to both protect and take a beating.
These are the top five most popular styles of vans and have been known as icons for many generations.
Vans has partnered up with many athletes and other companies in order to design shoes. Vans has partnered with Marc Jacobs, Supreme, Disney, the Star Wars Trilogy, Metallica, The Beatles, The Simpsons and more. Some of the athletes they worked together with are Pat Moore, Steve Caballero, Nathan Fletcher and Tony Trujillo.
In 1988, Vans introduces weather resistant materials to footwear labeled Mountain Edition for the first time and by 1993, Vans introduces the Vans Snowboard Boot in the fall ’93 / winter ’94 snow season. The production of a snow/winter line of apparel help lead to the global spread of Vans. Several Olympic athletes sport Vans and have even won medals. Daniel Franck won a silver medal at the 1998 Nagano Games wearing Vans boots. Danny Kass and Doriane Vidal each won medals at the Salt Lake City Olympic Games wearing Vans snowboard boots. Lastly, Iouri “Ipod” Podladtchikov won gold at the Sochi Olympics wearing Vans snowboard boots, dethroning previous gold medalist Shaun White.
As well as normal everyday styles and a winter edition, Vans launched Vans Customs online, allowing fashion designers to create their own Classic Slip-ons utilizing hundreds of different color and pattern combinations. Today, there are several other styles offered in customs including the Old Skool.
Vans also launched UltraCush Lite which is a custom blend of foams designed to provide superlight cushioning. Vans more recently also released the UltraRange. The UltraRange represents Vans’ path toward new innovation, and expands the brand’s vision to create functional, comfort-driven products.
Campaigns and Contests:
Vans has created many campaigns/contests in order to leave their footprint behind. For the first time, Vans sponsored the Warped Tour in 1995. The first Warped Tour was made up of several different shoe dates over a few months’ time in the United States and Canada. In 2001, Vans bought the controlling interest of what is now the Vans Warped Tour, the longest running concert series in America. In 2004, the Vans Warped Tour celebrated their 10th anniversary and passed the 500,000 attendee plateau for the first time. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland opened an exhibit documenting the Tour’s first 12 years, recognizing the cultural relevance of the Vans Warped Tour and its significance to the punk-rock and skate community.
Vans has held sponsorships in the Triple Crown of Surfing, the Triple Crown of Skateboarding, the US Open of Surfing and teamed up with NBC Sports and Fox Sports Net. Vans had a hand in creating many events such as their international tour, Vault by Vans, Pro-tec Pool Party, the Downtown Showdown, Let it Ride BMX Jam, House of Vans, Joel Tudors Duct- Tape Invitational, Vans Park Series, Living Off the Wall and the Vans BMX Pro Series.
They have created many films and short films to help explain their efforts in leaving their footprint behind. Some of these films include Dogtown and Z-Boys, Stories of Sole, Get-N Classic Volumes 1–3, No Room for Rockstars, Duct-umentary, PROPELLAR and This is Off the Wall.
All of these campaigns and contests have helped to establish a name for Vans around the world. Take a look at the map below to find out just how far the Vans family has traveled.
Benefits:
As a way to give back and lend a helping hand in order to make a difference, Vans created and participated in benefits. These benefits helped with the global spread of Vans. Vans has built and opened several skate parks. These skate parks include:
- The first of its kind, 46,000 square foot indoor/outdoor skate park at the block of Orange Mall in Orange County, California.
2. A 42,000 square foot skate park in Huntington Beach California.
3. The 40,000-square-foot Lynch Family skate park.
Vans launched a campaign called Vans Custom Culture in 2010. Vans Custom Culture is made up of 326 schools across the United States. The high school shoe customization contest which culminates in four schools traveling to Vans’ home turf for a weekend of activities including the final showcase at the Orange County Museum of Art. The winning school receives a $10,000 grant towards the school’s art programs. In 2013, Vans Custom Culture expands to Brazil with 50 schools participating within the first year. More than 1,000 schools from all 50 states participated in Vans’ Custom Culture Contest by this time. Vans partnered with truth, Americans for the Arts, and Journeys to help raise awareness about the importance of arts in high schools. By this time, Vans has now contributed over $300,000 to support high school art programs By the fourth year in 2014, 2,000 schools participated in the Vans Custom Culture high school art competition. By this point, Vans has put more than $375,000 back into high school art programs nationwide. Vans Custom Culture Brazil entered its second year with 147 schools participating in the art competition.
In another way to give back, Vans established a partnership with Berklee College in 2014 to giveaway a scholarship. Vans, in partnership with Berklee College of Music, the world’s leading college of contemporary music, proudly announced that Miette Hope-Goldman, 17-year-old singer-songwriter, has been named the first recipient of the Vans Berklee Off The Wall Scholarship — a four-year award covering tuition, room and board.
You can hear from Miette about accepting her scholarship in the video below.
Conclusion:
Vans “Off the Wall” has been an icon for generations especially when it comes to California culture. In an effort to leave their own footprint behind and help others leave theirs, a small locally owned business overcame many struggles (such as bankruptcy), became a multi-million dollar global company and gives back to its community. Vans has received many awards in response to their huge success, great products and great core values to give back to the community. Vans prides itself on lending a helping hand and making a difference in an attempt to give everyone the opportunity to leave their own footprint.
Sources: https://www.vans.com/history.html , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnJ0mt5Cgx4ER_LhTijG_4A , https://thehustle.co/the-history-of-vans-shoes , https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi
