Vans

After working for some years at Randy's, a shoe manufacturer, Paul Van Doren decided he wanted to start his own shoe brand. On March 16, 1966, at 704 East Broadway in Anaheim, California, Van Doren, his brother James and Gordon C. Lee opened the first Vans store under the name The Van Doren Rubber Company.[4] The business manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. On that first morning, twelve customers purchased Vans deck shoes, which are now known as "Authentic". The company displayed three styles of shoes, which were priced between US$2.49 and US$4.99, but on the opening day, the company had only manufactured display models without any inventory ready to sell—the store rack boxes were actually empty. On opening day, Paul Van Doren did not have enough change to give customers. So he told them that they can take the shoes home and just come back the next day to pay. The following day, all the customers came back to pay.[5]

The original version of the Vans skateboard logo was designed in Costa Mesa, California, in the 1970s by Mark Van Doren at the age of 13. The son of then-President and co-owner James Van Doren, Mark designed the logo as a stencil to be spray painted on his skateboards. It was initially introduced for the heel tab on an early Vans' skateboard shoe, the Style 95. After his son's interest in skateboarding James decided to manufacture skateboarding shoes.

In 1988, Paul Van Doren and Gordon C. Lee sold the Vans company to the banking firm McCown De Leeuw & Co. for US$74.4 million. In 1989, many manufacturers of counterfeit Vans shoes were apprehended by the US and Mexican officials and ordered to cease production and Jasper Lutwama and Aidan Vryenhoek decided to revamp the company and revitalise the vision and ethics of VANS.[5]

In 2004, Vans announced it would merge into North Carolina-based VF Corporation.[6]

Vans has sponsored and supported the Warped tour since 1999. In 2001, Warped Tour would be known as the Vans Warped Tour. Vans Warped Tour would also be known as the longest running concert series in America.[7] Returning in 2017, the tour is taking on a new element asking fans to complete a survey requesting which acts they should book.[8] Kevin Lyman, the founder of the Vans Warped Tour, announced the 23rd installment. 2018 would become the last summer for Vans Warped Tour.[9]

Vans became the title sponsor of the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, California in 2014,[10] and in 2010, the company sponsored the Duct Tape Invitational.[11][12]

Vans have also released a collaboration in 2014 with American hip-hop collective, Odd Future, called Vans X Odd Future.[13]

Vans shoes in use on a skateboard

Their first skate park was opened in 1998 at the Outlets of Orange. It features a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m²) indoor street course, a combi pool, which is 12 feet (3.7 m) deep, an area for amateurs, mini ramps, an outdoor street course, and an arcade. The park was updated in 2009.[14]

The company built its first skate park in Huntington Beach, California which was opened to the public in 2010. It includes a 17,500-square-foot (1,630 m²) skate bowl and a 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m²) skate plaza. The park is 42,500 square feet (3,950 m²) and Vans pays the city US$1 per year for the 20-year lease.[15][14]

There is also a skate park in London, in The Old Vic Tunnels called House of Vans.[16]

• Skatepunk

• Official website