Vans U Era

'76 saw the Vans Era entering the empty pools to respectfully capitalise on the craze for skaters rocking the simple, affordable canvas creations the brand popularized. Lifting from the Authentic's (44's) clean looks, a decade on, it was time to make some minor, but necessary performance tweaks, with some extra padding and a slightly sturdier take on this plain, low-profile silhouette. Extremely versatile, this is a design that takes well to any number of alterations - patterns, dual colours, materials, monotone shades...it's all good. The 'Off The Wall' collection of the late '70s was the moment that Vans officially acknowledged their left coast skate audience with a collection of shoes made with skaters in mind, down to the addition of 'Off The Wall' to the heeltab. These reintroductions build on the stellar work of New York's Classic Kicks Vans collection from last year with simple, timeless colours and legendary shapes.