Vans Skate Shoes & Clothing

Vans is a legendary American skateboarding and lifestyle brand that helped define skate culture worldwide. It was founded on March 16, 1966, in Anaheim, California, as The Van Doren Rubber Company by Paul Van Doren, his brother James Van Doren, and partners Gordon Lee and Serge Delia. Originally the business manufactured and sold simple canvas shoes directly to customers from its first store.

In the early 1970s, skateboarders in Southern California began adopting Vans shoes for their grippy waffle-rubber soles and durable build, finding them ideal for riding boards. Seeing this organic connection, Vans leaned into the skate scene and in 1976 developed the Era model with skate pioneers Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta, marking one of its first purpose-built skate shoes and debuting the iconic “Off The Wall” slogan that has become synonymous with the brand.

Over the next decade Vans introduced more classic skate silhouettes — including the Old Skool (with its signature side stripe) and Sk8-Hi — cementing its place in skateboarding history and youth culture. The brand weathered business challenges in the 1980s and later expanded globally, broadening into footwear, apparel and accessories while maintaining deep roots in action sports and streetwear.

Vans has since become a cornerstone of skate culture and beyond, sponsoring events, athletes, music festivals (like the Vans Warped Tour), and creative communities worldwide, while continuing to innovate classic designs that remain popular today.