This February Vans is unveiling its latest Music Collection featuring its Old Skool sneaker silhouette. For the campaign, unveiled during a global media event in Los Angeles, the VFCorp-owned brand tapped indie band The Paranoyds, Indonesian female rock trio Voice of Baceprot, British rapper Little Simz, and rising stars of Detroit’s underground hip-hop scene, Hi-Tech. Each artist, in their own way, reflects a sound and culture reminiscent of Vans Warped Tour music festival era.
At an archives preview in Los Angeles led by Vans archivist Catherine Acosta, the brand shared a series of images and vignettes highlighting its deep roots in skate culture and its longstanding connection to punk and alternative music. The showcase included a range of Vans collaborations, from fashion icons like Vivienne Westwood to music partnerships with Circle Jerks, Tyler, the Creator, and A Tribe Called Quest to name a few.
That same evening, Vans hosted a panel featuring artists Jahlil Nzingga, musician Travis Barker, Linda Lindas band member Bela Salazar, and Henry Rollins. Rollins, the musician, activist, and actor, spoke about the importance of subcultures like skateboarding and indie music as vehicles for social progress and compassion, emphasizing their relevance now more than ever. The discussion underscored Vans’enviable cultural legacy across generations, something many newer brands have to strive to engineer.
For its Old Skool Music collection, Vans’ guiding theme of “Feeling Something New” is reflected in premium materials, sleek color stories, and a bio-based foam insole that adds a new comfort level to its classic minimalist silhouette. In terms of colorways, the collection spans from the brand’s iconic black-and-white checkerboard to new suede canvas textures. The Music Collection’s Old Skool sneakers look and feel good in a way that channels the effortless vibe of skaters who typically don’t have to try too hard to be cool.
Lei Takahashi’s December 2024 article on Business of Fashion, “Can Vans Recapture Its Cool?”, questioned whether Vans could regain the market share it held in the 2010s. With the current leading trend of minimalist, low-profile silhouettes, the success of its Nu Skool model, and the strong debut of OTW Vans, there’s no denying that the opportunity is there.
At Vans’ global Old Skool summit, the brand reaffirmed its commitment to lean into its roots at the intersection of skate and music. In a crowded lifestyle sneaker landscape dominated by athletic and high fashion brands Vans’ growth opportunity lies not just in reviving, updating classic silhouettes or leaning on nostalgia, but in its ability to fully embrace its rebellious Off The Wall spirit by tapping into the pulse of global youth subcultures and consistently taking creative risks with culture-driven, style-forward drops that spark desire. By combining authentic buzzworthy storytelling with style, Vans has the potential to not just stand out, but to make us feel something new and real.
The Vans Old Skool Music collection will be released in three drops: a retro punk capsule on February 6th, a ‘90s Warped tour-inspired capsule on March 6th, and an indie Hip-Hop capsule on April 10th.
