Stories of Sole
Like a lot of skaters, I’ve been wearing Vans Shoes since I started skating 20-odd years ago. Back then, Vans were the only option going; it would be a few years before brands like Airwalk, Etnies and Vision Street Wear emerged. I’m pretty sure the first shoes I skated in were a flimsy pair of canvas Converse Chuck Taylor high-tops, but only so much Shoe Goo could keep them alive before my griptape shredded them into oblivion. Vans, on the other hand, had superior soles (the good ol’ waffle sole) and were just more durable ands skate-able overall. They lasted way longer, which I’m sure my parents appreciated. And style-wise, there was nothing else I wanted on my feet.
As time progressed I wore countless other brands of shoes, but in recent years I’ve developed a pretty healthy Vans fixation; you’ll find Sk8-His, Chuckkas, Eras or Half Cabs on my feet on any given day. I usually skate in Half-Cabs, and I constantly check skate shops and shoe sites for new releases from the Vault collection. I’m sure there’s a certain nostalgia at play, transporting me back to a time when life and skating was far less complicated. But regardless of any deep thought on the matter, I think I just dig ’em: it’s that simple.
Fellow Vans fans will be interested in Stories Of Sole From Vans Originals, a new coffee-table book written by Doug Palladini (disclaimer: Palladini’s day job is the VP of marketing at Vans). The book offers up a genuinely fascinating and entertaining overview of the history and influence of Vans, and provides a depth of insight and range of bizzare factoids that even an admitted fan like myself was unaware of. For example, in the early days, you could buy the shoes as singles. Singles! So if you wore one shoe out skating but the other was OK, you’d just buy a single shoe instead of a pair.
Chapters are devoted to Steve Van Doren’s (the son of Vans’ founder Paul Van Doren ) recollections of the early days, skaters like Tony Alva, Geoff Rowley and long-running team member Steve Caballero, plus Vans’ involvement in BMX, snowboarding, the Warped Tour, and an overview of all the custom "pro model" shoes Vans have made for bands; Skateboard Shoes everyone from Motorhead to Social Distortion to No Doubt.
And of course, there’s a chapter devoted to how important the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Sean Penn’s surfer/stoner character Jeff Spicoli, was to the growth of Vans in the ’80s. Prior to the movie, Vans did about $20 million a year in sales. One year after the movie was released, and Spicoli’s infamous "that’s my skull" scene (where he smacks a brand-new pair of checkerboard Vans Era shoes on his head while getting ready for prom) was seen across America, Vans more than doubled its sales to $45 million a year.
I got my copy of Stories Of Sole on Monday and have spent the past few evenings flipping through it. I know it will be one of those books I’m glad to have on my shelf… and if anyone ever questions the collection of Vans in my condo’s front closet, all I’ll need to do is grab it off my shelf and Spicoli ‘em on the head with it to explain myself. (Or, you know, lend it to them so they can read it and gain their own appreciation for Vans.)
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