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Set inside the immersive Cactus Jack pop-up, designed by Travis himself, the space subverted the idea of an activation. Part sport, part underground tournament, part block party, Mad Maximus channeled the unpredictable electricity of street football and layered it with Travis’s signature touch: offbeat, chaotic, and culturally locked in.
The weekend kicked off with the Open Crossbar Challenge, a simple setup that quickly became a crowd favorite. Winners walked away with not only bragging rights but Nike gear and an earned shot at the “Winner Stays” 1v1 tournament on Sunday, where everything truly came to life.
Crews from across L.A. rolled deep, Chicano FC, Culture FC, House of 626, Insainz, La Comunidad, Tiki-Taka, Toque, and Venice Beach Football Club, each bringing their uniqueness to the pitch. Among them was Jaiden Rodriguez, a Nike NIL athlete and rising star from Chicano FC, who delivered moment after moment, proving what happens when style meets substance.
The culture and the Los Angeles community were see. and felt everywhere. The audience waved Mexican flags in support, while cheers and claps echoed through the cage. Mad Maximus blurred the lines between music, movement, and sport, not to showcase a brand, but to celebrate a thriving community that may not always get the recognition it deserves. It was a reminder that empowering the next generation doesn’t come from placing them under a spotlight, it comes from handing them the mic.
By sundown, the energy could still be felt and sounds of cheers and thudding footwork were still at a high. In that moment, under the desert sky, one thing was clear: The future of football doesn’t start in stadiums. It starts in cages and on corners with young creatives playing games on their own terms.
PART I: Q&A WITH VANS OTW VP AND CD IAN GINOZA
Paige Silveria - Tell me a bit about your background?
Ian Ginoza - I’m originally from Honolulu. I’m a surfer, skater, and pseudo creative, I guess. Being from Hawaii, I’ve always been really connected to the ocean. A lot of my pursuits were really through that. My father, for instance, was a big diver and body surfer — so these types of things. Some of my fondest memories are connected to being creative in the ocean. This is why I love Vans. Out of all the places that I've worked at, they’re the most dedicated to the ocean and to Hawaii. We activate there and we're a big part of the community of Hawaii. And of course we grew up either barefoot or in flip-flops until I found skateboarding, and because of this, Vans were the first sneakers I ever wore.
PS - How would you describe OTW and the initiatives you’re pushing for with it?
IG - With OTW in general, we're tasked to kind of push the boundaries and edges of product and brand experience. Like in ’23 in Paris, we had King Krule and Onyx Collective perform. We’ve hosted an exhibition with Atiba Jefferson at Art Basel; Sterling Ruby during Frieze LA. We’re bringing back Max Fish and TV on the Radio at NYFW — all these things. Music is definitely at the center of culture and really considered carefully.
PG - I mean, you have Bjork performing tonight. Can you get more iconic than that?
IG - And she’s such an innovator in the space. And I think it's the same thing with Vans being connected to the skateboarding community. I think innovation’s at the center of that culture and that community. You know, like in a lot of ways I view skateboarders and their perspective as viewing the invisible. A person that doesn't skate goes to a swimming pool and sees a place to swim, but a skateboarder sees it very differently, right? So in that way, that perspective and that lens on the world in life in general is kind of what OTW tasks to personify.
PART II: Q&A WITH SHOE DESIGNER DYLAN PETRENKA ON THE NEW OLD SKOOL 36 FM SNEAKER DESIGN
PAUGE SILVERIA - How’d you get into designing shoes?
DYLAN PETRENKA - It was initially through architecture — I was first studying custom homes, then furniture, and industrial design as a field. But when I took a footwear elective randomly, that was it. I switched and stayed there. Also, growing up skateboarding in the ’90s footwear was highly important style-wise of course, but also from a functional standpoint. It’s funny, you know, you have these loves or passions in your life. But you don't really connect them with your career or what you’ll make your living off of. So it’s really cool that I’m able to make a living off of not only skate, but also design.
PS - Tell me about these new shoes you’re releasing this week. They look pretty wild.
DP - Vans, at its origins, was a rubber company. So even though we were pushing things into this futuristic space, we thought that was an appropriate place and material to start from — especially because the original shoe was focused on durability. Foam wouldn’t make sense, for instance, for durability. So I wanted to figure out how to build a rubber cupsole in a new way. Instead, we chose to move away from a clean sidewall and make it visually different. We had this tread expression that wrapped up to the sides.
PS - I love how classic waffles on the bottoms were reimagined and mimicked the sound waves of Willo’s installation.
DP - From a visual standpoint, I don't know how nerdy you want me to get on this, but all the tread zones are individually placed. It was this painstaking process to craft each zone. We started looking at fields of industry that were focused around durability, like hazmat suits, and built this entire mood board with a design team; we just started looking at electrostatic workwear, and anything else made for an extreme condition. We thought it would be fun to take that and use it as a style choice. Then the knit portion isn’t dye-cut. It comes off the knit machine engineered perfectly to the shape of the pattern piece, which is kind of cool because then you don't have to create a bunch of scrap waste.
(ABOVE: Vans OTW Old Skool 36 FM)
PS - I’m sure you can talk for hours about all the aspects. It’d be cool to see your moodboard!
DP - Yeah, it was super fun to create these.
PS - They’re also super comfortable, as Vans always are.
DP - Good, yeah, and I mean that's another thing; we want to create a shoe that you can put on at 9am before heading to work or school. And after will remain comfortable through all social obligations and errands, etc. So when you arrive home at 9pm, your feet are still in good shape.
PS - And you’re based in Long Beach? I love being out there, riding bikes around, grabbing some pickled eggs and a beer at Joe Jost’s. Perfect shoes for this.
DP - Yes, agreed.
The hotel itself is a study in sophisticated restraint. Located on Reykjavik’s harbor, it balances clean architectural lines with warm textures: blackened wood, basalt stone, shearling-covered seating, and soft ambient lighting that nods to the aurora borealis. The mood is calm, contemplative. Even in the buzzing lobby, with its sculptural lava totem and flickering firelight, there’s a sense of intimacy that holds you.
But it’s downstairs, in the spa, where the experience deepens. Designed not just as a place to relax but to socialize, the spa blends Icelandic tradition with modern wellness. After a welcome tea and a handful of wasabi nuts, I stepped into the hammam, where guests are encouraged to sauna and use the steam bath.
The BioEffect facials are a standout—using high-tech serums to leave your skin reflecting Iceland’s crisp clarity. The staff are intuitive, well-trained, and respectful of silence, allowing you to sink fully into the experience.
Meals at Tides, the hotel’s restaurant, echoed the spa’s philosophy — clean, intentional, rooted in Iceland. Arctic char with dill butter, lamb shoulder with mint and pickled apple, and a volcanic chocolate dessert that felt like a playful nod to the country’s geography. Everything was unfussy but deeply considered, letting the ingredients speak for themselves.
Between treatments and meals, I made time to explore two of the country’s celebrated geothermal lagoons: Sky Lagoon and Hvammsvik. At Sky, the infinity-edge pool melts into the North Atlantic, steam rising as your body disappears into warmth. Hvammsvik, more remote, offers multiple hot pools nestled into the natural coastline — each with a slightly different temperature, each one more serene than the last.
The Reykjavik EDITION doesn’t try to compete with the drama of Iceland’s landscape — it simply frames it. Whether watching the sea through the window of your suite, or sipping moss-infused vodka post-massage, the experience reminds you of how small we are in the long arc of nature. And yet, within that scale, there’s still space for care, beauty, and presence.
This isn’t escapism — it’s an invitation to tune in. To feel the ground beneath you, the heat in your muscles, and the air on your face. A reminder that while we’re here, we might as well live well.
