Vans Old Skool by Dominic Meyer
Feet are one of the most vital parts of the human body, the means by which to travel from point A to point B, but they're also one of the most finicky. Feet get dirty, smelly, sore, hurt, and they're all around generally unappealing, so that's why it's important how a person has them kitted out. That's why I love to wear Vans old skool shoes, they're durable, comfortable, classic, and meaningful to me. Vans is a shoe brand popular with skaters, especially in California, and that's a culture I appreciate from a place I cherish.
Similar to the wheel, there is neither a known date for the invention of shoes nor a single attributable inventor, they have been amongst humanity for thousands of years. Footwear has followed humanity to every corner of the world, and shoe designs have evolved alongside countless cultures along the way. Around the world and across time, shoes have evolved to fit into all the different professions and terrain that they've faced. Steel toe boots are great for construction, and cowboy boots are great for horseback riding, but shoe design has progressed beyond functionality. Different types of shoes have been developed over the years in order to fill different uses, and in certain scenarios shoe designs have become so renowned that they have developed an iconic status for their style and cultural impact.
Within the skating community, and even outside of it, the Vans brand has developed a notable reputation as a quality shoe brand for the sport and iconic brand for the culture. The company was founded in Anaheim, California in 1966, and in 1977 they released the old skool design which persists to this day, as I'm actively wearing a pair daily. According to the Vans website itself, with the release of the old skool design, came the debut of the Vans Sidestripe, which has become the unmistakable hallmark of the Vans brand.î Then later that year the Vans classic slip-on design was released, which also persists to this day. The Smithsonian highlighted that, "further customer-driven design led to the 1977 releases of Vans Old Skool, and the now Classic Slip-Ons, loved not only by skateboarders, but surfers and BMX riders." Vans took off with multiple sports communities decades ago with their then innovative designs, that to this day have remained popular. Not only have the shoes remained popular, but their popularity has grown, members and admirers alike of the skating and BMX communities have kept the shoes flying off shelves for decades. I know that these designs are popular, because I'm not even a real skater, but I do know the value of what Vans has produced. I have been consistently wearing Vans for at least the last decade, and I currently own a pair of blue old skool shoes decades after their conception, it has to mean something that a poser from Chicago is repping a shoe from California designed for a sport he's uninvolved in.
I am not alone in my appreciation of the old skool design of Vans shoes, nor the brands other persisting classic designs. Even if people don't wear them, they know what they are. People magazine, on the frontline of fashion and entertainment news called Vans classic slip-ons "the ultimate classic"(Quinn). The designs that Vans came up with in 1977 have since transcended their original design, they've become a symbol of the California skating culture and their design has developed into more of a stylish one than a functional one. Vans originally took off for their popular skate designs, but their popularity has been maintained by their vast potential for creativity, which has been continually enjoyed by a growing consumer base that has expanded far from its skating origins. I haven't skated a day in my life, but Vans have been present in my life for as long as I can remember. I was initiated into my fraternity wearing Vans, I went to Universal Studios wearing Vans, and I walked the Grand Canyon wearing Vans, but not one pair has been the same. Vans have carried me miles with style and individuality that other shoes haven't offered to me, and other brands haven't been able to replicate.
In California, Vans have been a staple since their introduction, and my ties to California have been important to me since I could appreciate them. I might have been born and raised in Chicago, but every year my family and I have made our way out to California to visit extended family, and those visits have influenced many aspects of my life, including my style. The difference in cultures between Illinois and California was and is one of my favorite aspects of the trips that I've taken. One of the best representations of these differences is Vans, the shoes have grown with the skating community, which in turn has grown with the people. So, when I don my blue old skool shoes in the morning, I feel like I'm carrying something meaningful with me wherever I'm going, because the shoes are for more than skating, they're for representation. California is where I discovered Vans, and my mom;s ties her home and people are what influenced her to incorporate her fashion sense into mine. While Vans aren't the greatest shoes I've ever worn, they have been the most impactful in my life. Vans don't have the greatest fit, or best circulation, but it's in spite of these shortcomings and because of their endless color designs that I and others keep coming back to the classic designs.
Shoes have carried billions of people across every inch of the world, but not every pair of shoes has brought meaning with the wearer. I give my blue Vans 4 stars, I don't wear them the most, they aren't always the most practical, but they are the most meaningful shoes I own.
Works Cited
Quinn, Jessie. These Slip-on Shoes for Men Are a Summer Closet Staple ó Shop Styles from Birkenstock, Vans, and More.î People.com, 2023, people.com/best-slip-on-shoes-for men-7551366. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
Smithsonian Institution. The Invention of the Iconic Vans Skateboarding Shoe. Si.edu, 2020, invention.si.edu/invention-stories/invention-iconic-vans-skateboarding shoe. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.
Vans. ìAbout.î Vans.com, 2015, www.vans.com/en-us/about. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.