From Rihanna To Pete Davidson, The Case For Vans Is Only Getting Stronger
Perhaps it is time to ditch your Nikes and New Balances this season because there's an ever-growing list of people who are really making a case for Vans.
Vans have been around forever. In fact, the now-signature Old Skool silhouette debuted in 1977 dubbed "Style 36," and was the first shoe from the brand to incorporate the recognizable "jazz stripe." It is an absolute classic and is as timeless as it is iconic.
It's been a little while since we've seen them pop up with such frequency, though. I count the last time as being back in 2017 when A$AP Rocky started customizing his Old-Skools with yellow laces — I know, it's crazy that was five years ago.
But now everywhere I turn there seems to be a new celebrity photo featuring the Californian footwear label. Big Sean has even started doing the yellow lace trick again.
The biggest co-sign of the sneakers has come from Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson.
Taking their relationship to the next level, the two just stepped out on the red carpet together for the first time for the premiere of HULU’s "The Kardashian's" and Davidson clearly couldn't resist injecting a bit of his signature "scum bro" look into his outfit combining a white pair of Vans Era sneakers with a classic black suit.
And as their relationship continues to grow stronger, Kardashian is taking pages (or sneakers?) from the SNL comedian's book.
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The star has built an impressive arsenal of Vans since her split from ex-husband Kanye West, and has been spotted wearing both the Old Skool in black and white, and a monochrome white iteration, as well as the Slip-On in the signature checkerboard pattern.
Someone who also might be influenced by her man to wear the classic sneakers is Rihanna who was spotted reaching for Vans in one of her many already iconic maternity looks.
The singer and designer was out and about in a glossy CELINE puffer jacket with a matching pair of Old Skool's finishing off the cozy look (shown at the top of this article).
It should come as no surprise that Rih is rocking Vans, considering her baby daddy and boyfriend A$AP Rocky has been one of the biggest ambassadors for the brand over the years.
Not only starting the yellow laces wave, but the rapper also collaborated with the footwear label to create Slip-On mules. While that was one of the strongest sneaker releases of last year, Vans seems to have doubled down on its partnerships in 2022 starting the year with the return of its Engineered Garments collaboration, becoming part of the historic Calvin Klein x Palace collaboration, and bringing out more fire kicks with Rocky.
Plus, as if those collaborations weren't enough, Tyga and MSCHF have taken it upon themselves to create a bootleg pair of Old Skools with a distinctive new wavy silhouette.
With so many collaborations and new sneakers releasing every week, maybe the footwear market has become so oversaturated that there is a shared fondness for the classics.
Whatever it is, we're not complaining since a pair of Old Skool's retail at $60, which is refreshingly affordable considering designer sneaker collaborations are only getting more expensive.
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