bob I’m not a skateboarder; I don’t know how to skate, but everything related to skate subculture has always caught my attention, whether it’s the aesthetics, the behavior, or the music. Vans, being a brand that supported skateboarding from its early days, was one of the brands that caught my eye during my adolescence. I saw it being worn by the bands I liked to watch in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

I used to frequent a punk concert venue here in São Paulo, Hangar 110, and Vans was practically the sneaker that all the bands and people there were wearing. What really caught my eye was the side stripe on the shoe’s panel. I wanted to dress and act like those people. I was young and shaping my personality.

If you look at the classics, they’re just simple canvas and rubber shoes. I liked this aesthetic, and the simplicity connected with rebellion. It was something that stood out to me as a teenager, and it still attracts teenagers today, with new rebels bringing influence.

bob I really like the brand’s classics. There are five classic models, but among them, my favorite is the Vans Era. It’s kind of a modernization of the Vans Authentic, which is the first shoe in Vans’ history. In the late 70s, skaters adopted Vans as their favorite for skating. The Vans Authentic was durable and had good grip, which was essential back then because skateboards didn’t have grip tape.

The Vans Era became the first skate shoe made by skaters in history. Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta connected with the Van Doren family in the mid-70s. They liked wearing the Vans Authentic, but they needed something that was a progression from that shoe. They asked for something a bit more comfortable. If you look closely, the Authentic is more minimalistic, while the Era is more cushioned. Vans added padding around the collar, and while the heel of the Authentic is made of two pieces, the Era’s is just one, reducing the risk of cracking. The Era also has better heel protection and the upper material is more durable.

For the first time, a brand listened to skaters, who were often seen as outcasts at the time, regarded as delinquents. Vans understood that they were just teenagers hungry for fun and created the first skate shoe in history made by and for skaters. That’s why this is my favorite classic.

bob This here is the original colorway of the Vans Era. Everyone knows the original colorway of the Jordan One, the Air Max 90, but almost no one knows the original colorway of Vans. This was the first colorway sold to the public, known as the Two Tone, Red Navy. But in the promotional photo featuring Stacy Peralta performing a trick, the shoe actually has three tones—red, navy blue, and yellow. This was the version that wasn’t sold to the public.

When Vans celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016, they revived this story. It’s a story of imperfection because the shoe in the photo (Vans Era Pro 50th ’76 Multi) wasn’t the one that was sold to the public. But it’s a super cool story that intrigues me. And I’m glad that, at the 50th anniversary, they were able to revive it and finally bring it to the consumers.

Soon Vans will be celebrating 60 years of history, and there are many surprises ahead. Lots of cool stories like this one will be revisited.

bob Let me start by telling you about the brand’s origins. Vans didn’t start in skateboarding; it actually began with shoes for water sports. The brand is Californian and brought the Californian passion for the ocean and the nautical lifestyle. The shoes had great grip, making them ideal for not slipping on the wet decks of boats. But in addition to being good for that, they had great grip on any kind of surface or condition—and the skaters of the time noticed that. So, Vans didn’t originate from skateboarding but was embraced by skaters.

Initially, Vans shoes didn’t have commercial names, only numbers. The first Vans shoe is the Authentic, originally known as Style 44, a deck shoe that later became a favorite for skateboarding. From the Authentic, we get the evolution to the Vans Era, as I mentioned earlier, with the help of Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta.

Our third classic is originally known as Style 36, which is now the brand’s best-seller, the Old Skool. Neither the Authentic nor the Era had a distinctive logo or mark on the shoe. So Paul Van Doren, the creator of Vans, said, “I need to create something that stands out, so consumers know that shoe is a Vans.” By 1977, Nike already had the Swoosh, and Adidas had the Stripes. As a motorsports enthusiast, Paul created the Side Stripe from a sketch of a car exhaust pipe. They applied it to the side panels of our shoes, and that’s how the Old Skool was born.

The fourth classic is the Vans Slip-On, the brand’s most practical shoe. Without laces, it appeals to different types of audiences. At the time, in the late 70s, other brands were already producing this type of laceless shoe, but Vans added a special feature for consumers: elastic side panels, which made them easier to put on and take off.

And last but not least, we have the Style 38, now known as the Sk8-Hi. Once again, Vans listened to the demands of skaters. At the time, skateboarding was practiced in empty pools, and skaters would often injure their ankles. The Sk8-Hi was created with a high collar to protect the ankle from impacts during tricks.

bob Let me tell you a little about the famous checkerboard Vans Slip-On. This isn’t the original colorway, but it’s the one that became most iconic. Vans used to sell solid-colored shoes, and they noticed that skaters, artists, and musicians liked to customize them by drawing this checkered pattern. Observing this, Vans started manufacturing the shoes with this checkered pattern, and it became the most iconic design.

Another cool story is how the checkerboard Slip-On became famous worldwide through a movie called Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It’s a 1982 film starring Sean Penn, in which he plays a rebellious, rude young surfer. And he wears this shoe. As we know, rebellion sells to young audiences, right? Young people are inspired by subversive and edgy icons. So, thanks to this film, the shoe became a global hit.

Since their introduction to the market—starting with the first classic in 1966 and the others in the 70s—Vans’ five classic models have never stopped being produced. Season after season, generation after generation, Vans tries to reconnect with a new consumer audience, always speaking to the youth. Now, our focus is Generation Z.

Vans connects primarily through several pillars: action sports, with skateboarding, BMX, surfing, and snowboarding; through music, always paying attention to new generations of musicians, especially in the subcultures of punk and hip-hop; and through art, encouraging creative expression. Vans has a major slogan: to encourage creative expression, to make the consumer feel good, feel authentic, and to build their visual aesthetic that reflects their personality.

Because of its authenticity and strong values, the classics themselves become timeless. Generations pass, fashion changes, shoes become slimmer or bulkier, with higher or lower collars, but the five classics remain. In my view, it’s all because of that originality and authenticity.

Vans primarily connects through a few key pillars: action sports, such as skateboarding, BMX, surfing, and snowboarding; through music, with the brand always keeping an eye on new generations of musicians, especially within the punk and hip-hop subcultures. Vans also connects through art and creative expression. The brand’s major slogan is to encourage creative expression, allowing the consumer to feel good, feel authentic, and build their visual aesthetic in a way that reflects their personality.

Because of its authenticity and strong values, the classics themselves become timeless. Generations pass, fashion changes, things evolve—shoes get slimmer, shoes get bulkier; high-top, low-top, yet the five classic models remain. In my view, this is entirely due to their originality and authenticity.