The latest from Vault, iconic footwear brand Vans’ premium division where historic silhouettes are given a modern boost, happens to be a monochromatic wonder—yet has bright orange at its core. The 10-piece footwear and 12-piece apparel capsule collection was curated and created by Stockholm’s
Our Legacy, a menswear brand that’s ever-growing in prestige. Our Legacy co-founder Jockum Hallin took inspiration from the California hardcore punk culture of the ’80s and ’90s when bringing his take to the apparel basics and classic sneakers. Altogether, it’s a series of very effective minimalist designs channeling the past, present and future.
Hallin’s history with Vans dates back to his own childhood. “I think it was either in Thrasher magazine or inside a booklet of the records I was listening to,” he explains to CH about his introduction. “I was into hardcore and skateboarding, back in ’93 and ’94. Vans was only available in Sweden in one or two stores. I’m from a very small city. I ordered my first pair in a mail-order catalogue with one picture.” Hallin was impressed that the footwear had found its way into both of the subcultures dominating his life at the time. Two decades later, Vans approached Hallin for the collaboration, and when he felt Our Legacy was ready, he consented. This is his brand’s first-ever collaborative product. And he had a vision from the start, “We just wanted to do something that feels like a standalone collection—or its own sub-brand.”
It’s hard not to fixate on the power of the monochromatic colors. Regarding the decision, he says, “A washed black, a white—they’re always in our collection. The orange is like an Orange County homage. A lot of the bands I listened to came from there. Vans came from there. It’s a nice connection.” It took a year and a half for Our Legacy and Vans to develop the pieces. Hallin and his team dug through catalogs and old advertisements, searching through archives. “We wanted to get as close as possible to how the shoes looked in the beginning of the ’90s,” he adds, “They were a bit more narrow then. The foxing stripe came up a little bit higher.”
Materials are what take the collection beyond just commemorative and to the world of modern-day activewear. Fuzzy suede contrasts with high-quality army nylon fabrication. The iconic side-stripe appears in full-grain Swedish natural leather. As for styles, the Half Cab Pro ’92 LX, Sk8-Mid Pro ’91 LX, Old Skool Pro ’92 LX and Authentic Pro LX form the basis. But as Hallin makes clear, “We didn’t want to make anything look retro.” While the Vans DNA is certainly present and accounted for, there’s something distinct this collection and it’s a welcome addition to Vault’s offerings.
The Vault by Vans + Our Legacy collection will retail between $78 and $298. It launches on 25 February, at select Vault retailers around the globe.
Images courtesy of Vans