As the group pops bubblewrap and parades around Parisian landmarks, Diamond repeats: "He loves me, he loves me not." But when it comes to Thom Browne F/W '19, we have only one answer: he loves me.
Watch the video, below.
Photo by Emma Swanson; courtesy of the brand.
Over the weekend, Vans presented the Vans Global Summit in Los Angeles, intended to celebrate the launch of their new Premium Old Skool Music Collection. The new shoes—the first batch of which drop on February 6th—celebrate Vans’ long-held connection to the music industry. The first capsule is inspired by 1970s and ‘80s punk, featuring leopard print and solid styles; the second by the ‘90s and Y2K era of Warped Tour, showing the famed Vans checkerboard along with two-tones and flame prints; and a third draws inspiration from 2010s hip-hop, featuring bright, vibrant colorways on gum soles. For the campaign, Vans enlisted musicians that embodied the spirit of the brand, like The Paranoyds and Little Simz. What’s Old Skool is new again.
For the Vans Global Summit, Vans enlisted musicians, skaters, and creatives representing all facets of the brand for a weekend honoring its history and connection to the culture. The celebration kicked off with a dinner at West Hollywood restaurant Great White, featuring the dulcet tones of musician and Vans skate team member Ray Barbee on guitar. Following the serenade, guests were shuttled to Hollywood’s Kohn Gallery, where archivist Catherine Acosta lead press through an immersive exhibition showcasing Vans history, including everything from a note-perfect replica of a teenage boy’s bedroom, to never-before-seen archival imagery of Warped Tour, to unearthed portraits of musicians and skaters, all displayed alongside rare editions of the shoe.
“We’re taking inspiration from hip-hop, street culture, sport culture, and punk culture,” Acosta noted on the tour. “And trying to keep it playful.” She noted that the bedroom replica had everything you might expect, except for, crucially, “the actual smell of a teenage boy.”
Next up was a panel, where Acosta interviewed artist and musician Jahlil Nzinga (a founding member of The Pack), iconic drummer and producer Travis Barker, Bela Selazar of teen punk band The Linda Lindas, and the one and only Henry Rollins. Upon seeing Rollins, this reporter hyperventilated and needed to fan herself, but only a little and hopefully not in such a way that interrupted others’ viewing experiences.
Barker hails from Fontana, California, where he was immersed in rap and hardcore music from an early age. “In Fontana, the only shoe store we knew about was a Vans shoe store, where you could go to customize your Vans,” he said. “They were the first shoes I ever walked in.”
Acosta highlighted how Nzinga’s music with The Pack drew attention to the connection between hip-hop and skateboarding. “2006 was a hell of a year,” he said with a laugh. “Vans was for skateboarders. And I would look at skateboarding magazines and see that I wasn’t alone in this, see other people of color having this experience with skating and the shoes. With Vans, it felt like I could still be fresh to death.”
The panelists and other members of the greater Vans universe all could pinpoint times when they found their style through the company. Pro skater Beatrice Domond, who has designed her own shoes for Vans, has been wearing them ever since she can remember. Her Mary Janes-style Vans collection serves as a tribute to Haiti, where her mother and grandmother are from. “In my culture, you dress well,” she told office. “I was raised to dress up!”
Growing up in Miami, Domond “wanted to look like a skateboarder.”
“I wanted to be a skateboarder,” she said. “And from what I knew, Vans were what skateboarders wore, that's what they looked like.” The first pair of shoes she ever bought with her own money were a pair of Vans blue high-tops.
The Global Summit repeatedly demonstrated how Vans are organically connected to numerous subcultures and scenes, a thread (or shoelace) tying radically different communities together. They’re for the unique, and unique themselves (no two pairs of Vans are exactly alike), and thus perfectly suited to alteration. Teenagers have been leaning over their desks to color in their Vans checkerboard patterns for as long as the shoes have been available. As a nod to that history of personalization, for the day following the panel, Vans enlisted artist and designer Nicole McLaughlin to lead a customization workshop. McLaughlin—famed for sustainable, quirky projects that surprise and delight, like vests concocted from edible bread and heels constructed from old electronics—lead the group in adding vintage charms and strips of fabric to their Old Skools.
“Vans are like the perfect blank canvas, because they're simple enough that you can add things to them so that they feel like you, but they also have enough personality to stand on their own, too,” she told office. McLaughlin, whose own release with Vans was inspired by gardening totes, pocket included at the toe, has also worn the shoes since childhood.
“When I was 10 years old, I had the checkerboard slip-ons, and I colored in all of the squares, and my mom got mad that I colored the whole shoe in,” she said, laughing. “But it's funny, because that was literally the very first pair of shoes that I decided to customize.” The first of very, very many.
After McLaughlin’s workshop, during which this writer displayed a profound lack of motor skills (I was unable to attach a single charm to my shoes, but I was very proud when she complimented my charm selection), famed graffiti artist Chito conducted a live performance, tagging shoes and their boxes. Chito, known for his trademark dog illustration, has been tagging for decades, and has released several fashion collaborations with brands like Supreme and Arc’teryx. Observers gathered around his table, gently huffing in the smell of spray paint, as the master worked, writing out the words “Bad Idea” with a silver marker. It was a good joke, though letting Chito customize dozens of pairs of Vans could only be a good idea. Everyone lunged to get their own boxes.
To finish out the weekend, Vans held a raucous party at the Kohn Gallery, with performances from the band Horsegirl and hip-hop duo Paris Texas. Rollins DJed, too. “For me, Vans always spoke to alt culture and alt ways of thinking,” he said on the panel. “It’s a sub-language. You see someone in those shoes, and you know they’re onto something. And that’s how I’ve approached all of the things that I do. I’m not trying to be like everyone else. I’m doing it in my own screwed up way.”
The first drop from the collection will be available on February 6th, 2025.
The Anchor: A halterneck gown in doubled black dentelle chantilly de Calais with a crin anchor motif across the bust and fanning godets with floral graphic placements at the hem. Worn with black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Left — Mélusine: An off-shoulder, laced-neckline bodice in verdigris satin duchesse with an angular hip construction, hand-painted rusted copper eyelets and silver nappa leather lacing. Below, a silk organza mermaid skirt hand-embroidered with hand-painted, tarnished metal-beaded netting. Mélusine wears nude calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Right — Anne Bonny: An opera cape in oak double-faced cashmere, draped over a pearl silk shantung corset with an angular hip construction, glinting silver eyelets and cream nappa leather lacing. Draped from the bust, a criss-cross halter in crinkled sea-green silk mousseline. Anne Bonny wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Left — John Swann: A panelled, corsetted jacket with a plunging front and tail in oak tailoring wool, fastened with glinting silver eyelets and tonal nappa leather lacing. Below, capri pants in matching material. John Swann wears oak pleated lambskin wedge boots.
Right — The Helm: A strapless minidress in netted oak macramé with tonal silk mousseline-wrapped boning, and ship helm detailing at the bust. Below, a draped scrim of sea foam silk tulle. Worn with oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Left — Venus: A lavishly draped gown in laddered, accordion-pleated brunette jersey voile with tresses draped across the décolleté. Venus wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Right — Ariel: A bundle-draped dress in accordion-pleated ivory silk tulle, with a banded hem in écru voile de soie sauvage, bound by 12 metres of rigging rope spun with weathered metal sequins. Ariel wears off-white calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Left — Mary Read: An accordion-pleated ivory silk tulle dress with a tiered, ruffled skirt, worn beneath an oak silk shantung taffeta corset, and fastened with glinting silver eyelets and tonal nappa leather lacing. Mary Read wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Right — She Was A Fairy: A corsetted minidress in sky blue plissé Grès jersey voile with flounced hem and panierdraped with plissé Grès silk tulle. Worn with oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Left— Cupid: Pheasant feather wings mounted onto an oak calfskin harness, worn with silk satin-lined eyelet briefs in tonal hide. Worn above, a modesty drape of sky blue silk mousseline changeante. Cupid wears oak calfskin sandals.
Right— The Statuette: A slender-strapped column gown in swirls of oak plissé Grès jersey voile, with draped bust detailing upheld by a braided halter. The Statuette wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Left — L’Empreinte: A single-shouldered slip dress in nude stretch tulle, hand-embroidered with effet mouillé‘volcanic sand’ crystal beading. Draped around the arms, a mooring rope woven from silk thread and 50,000 weathered brass ‘pearls’. Worn with black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Right — The Net: A trained fishnet gown in hand-crocheted hadal black cotton yarn with trailing sleeves. Worn with black stretch nappa stiletto-heeled sandal boots with knotted strap detailing.
Left — The Hydra: A corsetted notch-lapel tailcoat in moulded anthracite latex ‘crocodile skin’ with the beast’s tail intact, worn with capri pants and point-toed stiletto-heeled boots in matching material.
Right — The Leviathan: A sleeveless fishtail gown in moulded anthracite latex ‘crocodile skin’, complemented by opera gloves and point-toed stiletto-heeled boots in matching material
Right — Jeanne: A corsetted column gown in pebble grey lambskin, with plunging front-to-back cutout details and 75 metres of tonal nappa leather lacing. Jeanne is accessorised with corsetted sleeves and a choker cuff in the same hide and wears nude calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Left — The Captain: A corsetted notch lapel jacket in black satin de laine with accentuated bust and angular hip construction, fastened with silver eyelets and black nappa leather lacing. Below, a mermaid skirt in black Swarovski-strewn silk mousseline, overlaid with tonal silk tulle. On top, a galleon hat sculpted in black feathers and silk mousseline. The Captain wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Left — The Narrator: A corsetted double-breasted jacket in laminated black brocade with écru cotton guipurecollar and cuff trims, and antique gold boutons boules, worn with capri pants in matching material. The Narrator accessorises with a brass and tin ‘bacchanale’ brooch and wears oak calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Right — Mary, Queen of Melrose: A corsetted dress in degradé Swarovski crystal mesh tartan. The dress disintegrates into slicked black ostrich feathers at the hem. Draped around the arms, an ‘ermine’ stole in spotted double-faced marabou feathers. Mary, Queen of Melrose wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Left — Le Marin: A corsetted tailcoat with a scooping notch lapelled sailor collar and extended cuffs in laminated black brocade, worn with capri trousers and a dixie cup hat in matching material. Beneath, a ruff in crinkled écru silk mousseline. Le Marin wears black pleated lambskin boots with morphing wedge heel.
Right — Ana Maria: A strapless scarlet dentelle chantilly de Calais shift dress with an asymmetrical, ruffled flamenco hem, underlaid with tonal silk tulle. Ana Maria wears black stretch nappa stiletto-heeled sandal boots with knotted strap detailing.
Left — The Virgo: A column gown with capelet shoulders, bonded to a hand-assembled silver Swarovski crystal mesh trawling net. The Virgo wears opera gloves in matching material and nude calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Right — Aphrodite: A ruffled dress draped from 250 metres of sea foam silk tulle, worn beneath a cream silk shantung taffeta corset with gleaming silver eyelets and tonal nappa leather lacing. Aphrodite wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Left — La Veuve: A cascading black silk tulle cape dress with gathered sleeves, worn over ruffle-hemmed capri pants in matching material. La Veuve wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Right — La Comtesse de Saint Sernin: A corsetted white cotton guipure tailcoat with a flounced hem and sleeves, worn over capri pants in matching material. La Comtesse de Saint Sernin wears black stretch nappa stiletto-heeled sandal boots with knotted strap detailing.
Left — The Scorpio: An off-shoulder trained gown in stiff black silk tulle, worn beneath a black satin duchesse-wrapped corset cage embroidered with tonal ostrich feathers. The Scorpio wears black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandal boots with front cutout detailing.
Right — Le Marié: A pussy bow blouse in crinkled ivory silk mousseline with peasant sleeves, ostrich feather-trimmed cuffs and a train in tonal silk tulle, tucked beneath a fringe-trimmed pearl satin cuircorset with an angular hip construction and cream nappa leather lacing. Below, black satin de laine capri pants. Le Marié wears black pleated lambskin boots with morphing wedge heel
Left — The Premonition: A halterneck drape of scarlet mousseline changeante with a cursive ‘Naufrage’ motif in brass-wired tubular crin running over the bust and tumbling down the flank, attached to a mermaid skirt in accordion-pleated tonal silk mousseline changeante. Worn with black calfskin stiletto-heeled sandals.
Right — Designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin
