Did Vans win Paris Fashion Week?
OK, the question might be a bit surprising. How could a heritage skate brand from California be the winner of a week dedicated to the most prestigious luxury brands in the world presenting their new collections on grandiose runways? But Vans’ place in Paris during one of fashion’s biggest weeks isn’t as out of place as you might think.
“Skateboarding is on mood boards and runways for various brands,” says Ian Ginoza, who is the creative director of OTW by Vans, which is the brand's sub-label that launched in 2023 and focuses on more premium collaborative offerings. "Louis Vuitton has skate shoes and Pharrell’s handle on Instagram is @skateboard, right? We're not going to show up on runways. That's not our game. What we are is the inspiration for those brands.”
In a week for celebrating designer fashion, a sneaker brand, and not even a titanic one managed to capture the attention of everyone in town with various events that celebrated the convergence of the skate world with music and fashion. It was all capped off by a massive party under the Basilica de Sacré-Cœur on the hill of Montmarte, one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. When you do things like that, you deserve a spot in those “best of” conversations.
The party, dubbed OTW by Vans: Checkered Future, was held on the evening of June 21. DJs like Kaytranada, Justice, and local legend Busy P performed from the top of Montmarte as red light glowed around them and smoke billowed from the stage. At the bottom, a jam session with Vans team riders took place in a specially-created skate bowl. In between was an array of partygoers packed in shoulder to shoulder, dancing along to the DJ sets that echoed through the Parisian night.
The two focal points of the event space, the stage (which was also skateable) and bowl, were created by California Skateparks and PlayLab Inc. The latter is a design duo who most notably created sets for many of the late Virgil Abloh’s runway shows at Louis Vuitton. PlayLab also worked with Vans on previous skate installations at Paris Fashion Week and Frieze LA.
“PlayLab is a perfect fit for us because they are really thoughtful in everything that they do,” says Ako Jefferson, creative director of Vans. “There's no cutting corners with them. They know these grand structures and how to thoughtfully look at them without things being contrived.”
Each piece of the installation was meant to look like it was carved out of stone (it was actually plywood) and incorporated Vans’ iconic checkerboard print. The result was skateable structure that double as sculptural art pieces.
“Working with PlayLab and California Skate Parks is such an amazing combination because you're getting these very thoughtful builders together in their own fields of architecture,” says Jefferson. “Anything we design with OTW, we just want to do something fresh and unexpected.”
Vans’ presence in Paris wasn’t just limited to an massive party. Its showroom gave a peek into what is to come from OTW by Vans. Highlights included a military green and black Old Skool adorned with pearls and beads from cult-favorite luxury streetwear brand Satoshi Nakamoto, checkerboard Authentics by Undercover, and cream Authentics with paint splattered toes from Gallery Dept. A friends-and-family variation of the Half Cab dressed in artist Piet Parra’s signature color palette hinted at a larger collection that will be dropping later this year.
“I think of our collaborators like friends. I don't need a lot of 'em. I just need the right ones,” says Ginoza.
Ginoza, who’s resume includes co-founding Chicago boutique Saint Alfred and working on high-profile collaborations with talent like Virgil Abloh and Comme des Garçons at Nike, says that OTW’s goal is to attract the types of collaborators that can think outside of the box and provide a fresh take on Vans’ well-known archive.
“OTW is a platform to work with external innovators and trailblazers,” says Ginoza. “And that's definitely in the spirit of skateboarding. It's a very different take on what I think consumers look at Vans and see today.”
Vans also sponsored a photo exhibition in Paris for legendary photographer Atiba Jefferson. The walls of the space were filled with some of his most iconic images like, Tyshawn Jones kickflipping a subway gap in New York City or Tony Hawk mid-way through a full loop. The event served as yet another hot spot in the city during the busy fashion week slate. Attendees, which included the likes of Verdy, Arthur Kar, Aminé, and Don C, spilled out into the street in front of the venue for the entirety of the night.
Such a memorable presence during Paris Fashion Week, a week-long marathon where literally every major brand finds a way to make its footprint, is a good sign for Vans. The brand’s reputation has taken a bit of a hit in recent years, which has led to lackluster earnings. VF Corp, the conglomerate that owns Vans along with other heritage brands like The North Face and the streetwear label like Supreme, has stated that it is trying to make Vans brand cool again. A giant party in Paris or a collab with a buzzy designer isn’t going to do that overnight. But inserting Vans into the conversation again is an important part of the equation for its ongoing recovery plan.
“Sometimes people can get lost along the way and forget who they are. OTW is a reorientation back to what I feel is the brand's true self, really rooted within skateboarding,” says Ginoza. “Every brand has peaks and valleys, but I think the brand is on the right track."
