crooked tongues magazine News Features

You've got to go the extra mile these days to grab our attention when it comes to representing your brand. Especially last week, when things were kicking off in Paris and Berlin, with a mystery Nike announcement brewing in NYC for good measure. It was too much to take in. So much so, that we ended up becoming apathetic towards pretty much everything. But Vans pulled it out the bag with their OTW launch on Wednesday night. The last time we attended an OTW party, it involved the RZA DJing on the roof of a particularly high building in Downtown Los Angeles and sharing the lift with Amber Rose. That's a tough act to follow, but the three-day House of Vans setup that turned east Berlin's Department venue, with its staggeringly high chapel style roof over the dancefloor into a party venue and showcase for the younger sibling of Vault and Syndicate, was a serious proposition.

Rooms were decked out for select OTW advocates - toy kingpin and Garageworks owner Chris Kong's room was laden with Ron English assisted creations, bike-mad photographer and videographer Dimitri Coste had his imagery and a motorbike (complete with a lady who seemed to be paid to sit on it all night) and artist and designer Eric Elms had a roomful of banners made specially for the event, complete with a tribute to our beloved Brick Squad. Pitched somewhere between scuzzy and sanitary, Department was besieged by invited folk and chancers alike, who filled out the entrance area in the pouring rain. 1000 partygoers filled the area to see Mos Def in well-tailored contrarian mode, performing as Yasiin Bey (artist formerly known as Mos Def), and entering the stage with a large man purse and cap and suit combo, eventually succumbing to the intense humidity, but offering the first live performance of his Jay-Z and Kanye remix (complete with repeated disclaimers that it's not a diss), an instrumental and accapella Dilla homage and a crowdpleasing 'Umi Says' to conclude.

Lupe Fiasco — an OTW advocate with his own Vans makeups — was the evening's headliner and his fanbase was evidently in the building. We've never fully understood that rabid fanaticism for his curious mix of verbose consciousness and Euro-synth as far as his current output goes, but those early mixtapes and that leaked 'Food & Liquor' were office soundtracks for some creative moments in CT history. Still, we can't deny that the newly braided Lupe didn't give it 100%. Because it's a skate-related event and because it's the song that everybody knows, he even performed 'Kick, Push' twice. Our buddies from the Patta Soundystem were the real stars of the show though — play 'Ima Boss' and 'Rack City' and we're guaranteed to flail limbs and act a fool. The free hotdogs and waffles on sticks were a nice touch too. Vans events are no joke, and the OTW product's getting better and better with each season — stay tuned for a lengthy chat with Mr. Eric Elms about Vans, Supreme, design and WSHH.