I remember the moment when I bought my first pair of Vans. I was in eighth grade, and I desperately wanted a pair of the shoes that all my friends wore. There were very few people in my school that wore them, so I wanted to fit in with my friend group while standing out from the rest of the student body. My first pair were ‘authentic lo pros’ and were a bright teal color. I quickly became obsessed with them, wearing them until holes started to form. After that I bought bright coral, then black, then dark grey, then light grey. I wore my Vans everywhere, and I bought a new pair every year before going to the Vans Warped Tour. I loved that I could stand out from most of the kids that lived near me while still feeling as though I belonged to …show more content…
Whether you wore them or not, if you were into skateboarding you certainly recognized that classic Vans logo…” wrote an anonymous poster on the website SkateCulture.info. Vans originally did not plan on being a company that was focused on skater shoes, but they caught the attention of skaters immediately after opening due to their low prices and skate-friendly style (Leon, Vans: An Authentic Story) (Tschorn, How Vans Tapped). They are known for their famous “waffle sole”, the criss-crossed design of the bottom of the shoe that is made to provide traction and stability. Vans quickly became a big name in the skateboarding community. The company signed their first two sponsored skaters, and in 1976, they helped to design the first Vans shoe made specifically for skateboarders. The skate community responded well to the Vans skateboarding shoes due to their “...great grip, supportive ankle cushions and of course, funky colors and patterns” (Vans: An Authentic Story). The skater culture is important because it brought together a group of people that all enjoyed a particular sport (skateboarding), and let them feel as though they belonged, even when society only saw them as a group of troublemaking bums. Vans shoes are a unifying object for all skaters, from the 1960’s to today. If you took a trip to the skate park today, there is a good chance you will see at least one Vans sticker or pair of Vans shoes before …show more content…
They are the most popular skateboarding shoes available today, and their predominance in the skater culture can be traced back to the company’s origins. The punk culture then stemmed from the previously established skateboarding culture, and Vans shoes became a staple footwear for the members of the newly formed community. Later, Vans decided to sponsor the Warped Tour, and has been associated when the summer long music festival for over 20 years now. The Warped Tour is a main summer event for almost all youth involved in the punk music community, and the sponsorship keeps the relationship between the shoe and the community alive. The tour brings together both the skateboarding culture and the punk music through the combination of music artists in all subgenres of punk, and through their skateboarding competitions and promotions at the individual tour dates. Vans shoes are becoming a popular footwear choice for the mainstream culture today as well, and are much more commonly worn than when the company was started. Vans shoes are important to several different cultures and groups of people because they are more than just an everyday shoe. Vans represent creativity, individually, youth, and help connect millions of people worldwide through something as simple as the shoes they wear. Vans shoes have made themselves a key part of the punk culture through their support of the skateboarding