Vans Premium Old Skool Music Collection pays homage to underground music

Pro skater Beatrice Domond’s first pair of Van’s Style 36’s – aka the Old Skool – were her sister’s. “I waited until she faded them out,” she says. “Then I stole them from her and started skating.” First released in 1977, the Old Skool™ was the second skate shoe Vans ever made. The shoe quickly became an icon in the skating world, then infiltrated underground music scenes through the 70s until today. (Drummer Travis Barker, rapper Denzel Curry, and the rock band The Germs all had their own Old Skool.) “Skating and music go hand-in-hand, and there are a lot of similarities between skateboarders and musicians,” says Domond. To celebrate this rich history, Vans is dropping a Premium Old Skool Music Collection, inspired by three defining eras of the Old Skool in music. For the campaign, the brand enlisted musicians who embodied the spirit of the brand, like The Paranoyds, Voice of Baceprot, Little Simz and HiTech.

The first drop in the capsule collection, available now, features bold leopard print and solids that represent the original colourways first adopted by early punk and hardcore musicians in the 70s and 80s. The second drop, inspired by the Warped Tour and available on March 6, will include the classic checkerboard, two tones and flame prints, and the final drop on April 10 pays homage to hip-hop in the 2010s with vibrant colours on gum soles. Diandre Fuentes, head of design at Vans Lifestyle Footwear, calls each segment a “time capsule” to iconic moments in underground music, all in a Vans Premium build with enhanced cushioning, improved fit and archival design details. “We wanted to keep the visual integrity of the Old Skool, but, from a technical standpoint, we did a revamp of the shoe for comfort, fit and sustainability,” says Fuentes. “With the naked eye, you probably won’t pick up all the subtle but impactful technology that we injected into the shoe.”

Last weekend, Vans celebrated the Premium Old Skool Music Collection at the Vans Global Summit in Los Angeles. Bringing together musicians, skaters and creatives to Hollywood’s Kohn Gallery, archivist Catherine Acosta led everyone through an exhibition and lesson in Vans’ history: never-before-seen archival imagery of the Warped Tour, rare editions of the shoe and even a replica of a teenage boy’s bedroom from the early 2000s (Dr. Dre poster and vintage PC included). “It’s not like this story is actually about the shoe; it’s about other people wearing the shoe and the generations of people that adopt it,” she says. “Primarily, the through line is skateboarding, but there’s a subversive aspect to it, with multiple generations building this connection between the subcultures.” 

The Vans Global Summit ended with a party at Kohn Gallery, where musicians like Horsegirl and hip-hop duo Paris Texas performed amidst the pieces of cultural history. “Let’s bring music to life with raw energy, passion and fun,” said Paris Texas to set the scene. And that’s exactly what the Premium Old Skool Music Collection is all about. “Skate culture embodies rawness and experimentation. Grit, resilience and grassroots hustle,” says Fuentes. “All the characteristics mentioned are also present within underground music culture.” As skate legends like Tony Alva mingled with musical legends like Travis Barker, it was another night for the books (a moment to be hung on a future exhibition, perhaps). “There’s a picture of me in the event where I’m wearing the blue Old Skools on a half pipe shot,” said Alva. Then he pointed to his feet – he was wearing the baby blue shoes from the Premium Old Skool Music Collection.