The Vans shoes collection is a big name in sneakers. Vans shoes started a culture, pulled up the subculture of skateboard lovers into the mainstream, and now the iconic shoes are known all over the world.
In this article, I’m going to break things down by recapping the various Vans shoe styles that have taken over the streets and continue to influence style and class according to their popularity.
Vans Old Skool shoes. 1977.
Table of Contents
Vans introduced this shoe style to the world 1977 and it quickly became the rave. The low-top style has a jiggly line on the sides that was called the jazz stripe, the result of a random doodle by co-founder of the company Paul Van Doren.
At first it was known as the Style 36. In later years it became known as Old Skool. The Old Skool has championed the streets return to retro shoes.
The shoe is the king of lifestyle shoes, it remains the go-to shoe for street credibility after scaling the decades in which other shoes came, sold, and made waves.
In its 45 years of existence, the Vans Old Skool has maintained its Southern California surf and skate image as the shoe that bridged generations.
You will find Vans Old Skool shoes everywhere in this present century. The wildly popular shoe has been known to brighten the style of both the ordinary street dweller and the high and might.
Celebrities like Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, and Kristen Stewart have been spotted wearing the Vans Old Skool. Are the shoes really that cool to rock?
They are comfy, stylish, and never go out of style no matter the age. They have a classic, versatile look that makes them so cool to pair them with jeans, or any casual clothes. Even the daring can style them with more formal or semi-formal clothes.
And one thing everyone agrees is the hallmark of vans shoes is their durability. Some users have confessed to being able to hand theirs down after wearing the shoes for ten years. Do you have these shoes in your collection yet?
Give them a try by purchasing here on Amazon.
The Vans Authentic. 1976.
At first, it was called the Vans number 44 Deck shoe. An iteration of the shoe was made in 1976 called the Vans Authentic Era, the Vans number 95. This brand was designed by two skateboarders named Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta.
It was the vans sneakers that gave birth to the Off The Wall logo too. The shoe was about authenticity then and now. It was one of the shoes of that era that gave you the freedom to be whatever they wanted when they wanted.
It was a silent campaign that told the youths they didn’t need to make announcements about their lifestyle. If you wanted to skateboard all day and make a living out of that, cool. Just put on your shoes and be that.
The Vans Authentic is a universally loved shoe, accepted everywhere. And the shoe has the uncommon talent of being timeless.
Unlike most other sneakers of its age, the shoes have the appeal they had when it was first manufactured. It defies weather conditions, country boundaries, and style.
It is a shoe that stays with you forever like that friend that knows you in and out. It can only be Vans: low top, firm look, rubber sole that grips any surface; skateboards, pavement, sand.
Buy the timeless shoe if you haven’t here online.
Classic slip-on. 1977.
This checkerboard slip-on design debuted in 1977. Van Doren’s son, Steve Doren was the mind behind the checkerboard design after noticing kids would paint their shoes on the edge in a checkerboard design with markers.
It was the heydays of skateboarding. At first, vans made shoes with checkerboard designs on the soles but soon switched to the design that we now have.
At this time too, a subculture of folks who preached equality in the human race through a subgenre of music called Ska and perpetuated these beliefs through the checkerboard color was rising in Europe. The fire of this movement was sipping through the borders of America.
There wasn’t a more propitious time than this for the vans company to get into the heart of the already emerging connoisseurs of the vans brand.
Music bands wore it, skateboarders rocked it with their headphones on, listening to the rock songs that popularized the movement.
The design gave a voice to the stoner, carefree surfer persona that many youths of the time aspired to. The design was made into the 1982 movie, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, starring Sean Penn who wore the shoes.
The iconic checkerboard design even made it to the vinyl cover of the film’s soundtrack album.
Do you have this checkerboard design in your collection yet? Share vans sweet history by purchasing this shoe here.
Vans Sk8-Hi sneakers. 1978.
This design was originally known as Style 38 and it debuted in 1978. It was the only second Vans sneaker to wear the distinct jazz stripe—the product of a random doodle by Paul Van Duren. This was a sneaker that was created with young Californian skaters in mind.
In California at this time, vert skating was becoming a thing with youths humming up the backyards, street corners with the tires of their skates.
The Sk8-Hi was designed to protect the skaters ankles as they rolled up the vertical planes and sometimes dashed their legs with the sides of the pool or ledges.
The ultra grip waffles under the rubber of the sneakers helped them maintain their balance as they hit the ground after every round of skate roll.
The skater community were not the only ones wearing these shoes. It transcended the street and went into rock music bands punk and rock metal legends like Bad Brains and Social Distortion wore this iconic shoe on stages.
They accelerated the further crossing of the culture of casuals out of the hood into mainstream sports. It became a versatile sneaker for the basketballer, the skater, and just about all the subcultures of youths of the day.
And the Vans Sk8-Hi remains the iconic root shoe of the 70s. Do you have this in your collection yet?
Vans Half Cab Skate Shoes. 1992.
The Vans Half Cab was originally made in 1992 to the specifications of the legendary skater Steve Caballero. The trick involved cutting off the collar on the original Vans Caballero Pro Model. It is lighter, better, and faster than the original.
The Half Cab is the silhouette that shaped another decade of skating for lovers of the sport. Fun fact: skaters came together with duct tape and scissors, they created from this scrap one of the world’s most iconic shoes.
The sneakers spots suede uppers, the toe cap, and Ollie patch are separated to give it a modern look. The gum rubber compound in the sole gives it grip and durability.
The Half Cab is a reimagined design from the first Caballero which was made in 1989. The following years after this saw more innovations pioneered by skateboarders who trimmed the hightop in an answer to progress and creative expression. By the Half Cab Skate Shoes here for $74.20.
The Vans Chukka Low. 2006.
This shoe is an alteration of the original Chukka. Designed originally for skating, the shoe can also be worn with everyday clothes outside of the skating arena.
The other Vans styles get more accolades in the world of sneakers and better buzz among skaters. But when it comes to a lineup of great skating shoes the Chukka is a style of Vans to reckon with.
It takes some of its looks from the Vans Authentic and the chukka boots. Vans then added a few new technologies to make it the badass skate shoe that it is.
These days, the shoes come with different colorways to spice up the lineup. Outside skating, users have found the Chukka comfortable for all types of feet.
Purchase the Vans Chukka here on Amazon for $79.98.
Vans Aloma. 2010.
The Vans Aloma was created in 2010. The design got its inspiration from the Vans 106 low-top sneaker. The sneaker is a chukka boot with leather mixed with textile uppers. It is far removed in looks from well-known Vans designs.
It is designed to meet the modern drift in sneaker silhouettes providing a line of Vans shoes that support modern trends and style but without losing all of the elements that make it Vans.
This sneaker is a style that pushes the boundary between skateboarding and street fashion. Its features include a clean cupsole, detail stitching, and ultraCush sockliners for prolonged comfort.
The essential skateboard sneaker, it comes with two sections of lace-up closure that ends around the top of the ankle for proper fit. Buy the Vans Aloma here on Amazon for $85.
Vans Chima Pro. 2013.
Another collaborative design between Vans and a skateboard legend, the Vans Chima Pro was produced in 2013.
The collaborator this time was an Australian skateboarder with Nigerian roots named Chima Ferguson. He is well known for his effortless skating and jaw-dropping maneuvers.
The shoe offers resemblances with original vans shoes from way back, and the colorful persona of the man whose moves inspired the sneakers.
The design also enjoys inspiration from athletic sportswear. It features lightweight elements inside the shoe and uppers of Duracap materials that keep the shoe stable and comfortable all day and all year.
Vans Chima is in a class of its own. Though it’s barely a decade old, it can be said that as long as the sport of skateboarding continues to exist, and the streets evolve, it too will achieve the status of legend.
Vans enthusiasts can look back today and reminisce over the good old days when their favorite vans shoes first came out. Having shoes like the Chima on display today is nothing but history repeating itself.
If you don’t have the Vans Chima already, buy it here on Amazon for $109.96.
Vans Chima Pro 2. 2018.
This Vans style requires little introduction. Since its debut in 2013, the Vans Chima Pro has been a huge hit. Vans and their collaborating skateboarder had to make an encore. As Vans themselves said, the Chima Pro 2 is too strong for just any one type of skating.
This sneaker enjoys lightweight durability, upgraded Duracap technology, and an ultraCush Lite 3D sockliner which makes it a super versatile skate shoe designed to meet the needs of the skating arena. It doesn’t matter what your style is, this Chima Pro 2 works for you.
It was designed for all types of skating: ledges, ramps, banks, pools, curbs, skateparks, the Chima Pro 2 is your go-to shoe. Buy on Amazon for $70.
Vans Bearcat. 2020.
This is the newest Vans sneakers style manufactured in 2020. It is part of the Vans performance range of shoes. Like the other newer styles on this list, it remains to see the mark this style leaves on the face of history.
It is a skate shoe with suede or canvas uppers, reinforced blucher eyebrow, double-stitched toecap for durability, Die-cut EVA sockliner midsole, gum rubber outsole, stitched side stripe logo design,
This is a must-have shoe for skaters who love to time travel from the past onto the present and back. For skaters who love the feel of their fingertips on the side of the rink as they glide over the edge.
Enjoy the comfort and durability that the vans brand and style of shoes are known for. Get the Vans Bearcat here for $111.27.
This list by no means exhausts all our favorite shoes Vans has ever made. If you are a skater or someone who loves the sport, you likely have a couple of Vans select goodies in your collection of sneakers.
Vans connoisseurs would appreciate the many styles that the vans brand has blessed the community of skaters and the rest of us with.
Why not take a moment to go through this list again and see how much of a fan you are by upgrading your own rack of kicks if you haven’t done so.
Related: