All media courtesy of Vans.
"OFF THE WALL"
VANS
"OFF THE WALL"
VANS
BRAND CULT:
BRAND CULT:
When actor Sean Penn introduced the stoned-out surfer Jeff Spicoli to the world in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a film that accurately captured the small details of Southern California teenage life, he also introduced the shoe that would help come to define the decade and become one of the top-selling Vans shoes of all time: the Checkerboard Slip-On.
Loved by surfers and skaters for the ease of…well, slipping on…the classic slip-on featured a low profile distinctive Vans checkered canvas upper with elastic side accents and the original Vans Waffle Outsole.
Now, over 50 years since the first pair was sold on opening day, Vans has not only grown to become one of the leading footwear and lifestyle brands on the globe, but they’ve managed to do so in such a way that puts authenticity and brand heritage above all else.
With the introduction of the Vans Warped Tour—the longest running concert series in America—in 1991, the brand cemented themselves as a visionary in brand storytelling and customer engagement. With punk rock and skating events galore, the Warped Tour was the ultimate exercise in experiential marketing before it became a buzzword for brands like Chobani and Samsung.
From the curb to the runway, Vans are a timeless blank canvas for the lives of many. And today, with profits growing year over year, Vans has proven that no matter where you come from, and no matter who you are, putting authenticity above all else can be the key to getting ‘Off the Wall’ and into the hearts of millions of loyal brand followers.
Similar to how Nike found early success by coming onto the market at the right time—during the jogging boom of the early 1970s—Vans also found their stride early-on as legions of skateboarders lined up to purchase the tailor-made skate shoes. Because the shoes were so easy to produce, the company was able to easily implement new features at the request of other skaters—such as a ‘high top’ version with padded sides to prevent ankles from the stray skateboards that would come flying in every which direction during pool sessions.
By the end of the 1970s, just over a decade after the Van Dorens opened up their first factory, the company had a staggering 70 Vans stores in Southern California and began selling through dealers both nationally and internationally. And while kids would rush to their local sporting good stores to purchase a pair of Vans after seeing their skateboarding idols wearing them in the pages of skate magazines, it would be a legendary 1980s coming of age film that would help catapult the brand into a household name status.
“Dude—all I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I’m fine.”
By the mid 1970s, sun-kissed California skateboarders came to embrace the sticky waffle-soled shoes and how they gripped their boards. Among others who considered the rugged Vans shoe a vital accessory to skateboarding were Dogtown legends Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta.
Like the basketball players and other professional athletes today who have their signature footwear designs modeled after their playing styles, Alva and Peralta worked with the Van Dorens to produce the ideal skate shoe.
The result was the Vans #95—now known as the Era—which added a padded collar for comfort, an outside heel counter for added durability, color options, and the introduction of the now-infamous ‘Off the Wall’ label—inspired by none other than Alva and Peralta’s ‘Off the Wall’ skateboarding style.
The brothers sold just 12 pairs of shoes—The Authentic—on that very first day for just $4.49 a pair.
It was only a matter of time before Paul’s philosophy of making shoes as tough as a tank would pay off for the skateboard craze just over the horizon.
While it took a year to set up their factory, which was built from scrap machinery found from around the United States, the two eventually celebrated their grand opening on March 16, 1966 at their first factory retail store located at 704 E. Broadway in Anaheim, California.
At the time, shoe factories were making pennies on the dollar per each pair manufactured, while shoe retailers made the majority of the profit. With their combined understanding of engineering processes and the active footwear market, Jim and Paul saw an opportunity to close this gap and become both a manufacturer and a retailer of their very own footwear designs.
Founded by brothers Paul and Jim Van Doren in 1966, Vans has all the ingredients of a sun-drenched Southern California feel-good story.
While Paul had worked his way up to the front office as Executive Vice president for Randy’s, the same Boston-based shoe manufacturer he swept floors at as a high school dropout, Jim had spent his years in school studying engineering. Over the 1940s and 1950s, the two gained enough experience that they felt confident going into business together against to become only the fourth vulcanized (hardened) rubber footwear company in the US.
Worn by everybody from skateboard legends to hip hop stars, Vans shoes have been striking the perfect harmony between style and function for over 50 years in ways that other brands could only dream of—long before Daniel was “back at it again with the white Vans.”
When Paul Van Doren decided to quit school at the age of 14—only to join his mom at work sweeping the floors of a local shoe factory, few would have pegged him as the future founder of one of the most iconic and beloved footwear brands in history.
Brand Cult is a new Ceros Original Series in which we explore the history
and influence of some of the world's most iconic brands.
By Simon Martin
The Making of a Southern California Icon
