A History of Vans Anaheim
March 16th, 1966. 52 years of excellence by the way of the Van Doren family. Let’s take a little crash course to remember their impact.
Continuing their 50th-anniversary celebration from 2016, the intrinsically Californian brand continues to offer a high-quality homage to their retro-tinged deluxe line, the Anaheim Factory range. All the elements within the Anaheim Factory releases can be dated back to the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, a time when early adopters, sponsors (and all round skate legends) Tony Alva & Stacy Peralta were bombing pools with the most robust skate shoes of their time. Cotton laces, heavy 10 oz. canvas, original drill lining found on the heel of each shoe and a higher glossed foxing tape that captures a sheen that originated from the vulcanization process, are all design elements that were seen on the original creations.
Alongside the old design cues, the original Vans signifier for each model, the style code, is branded prominently in the Anaheim collection. Each creation at the factory was given a number as a signifier before their later day dubbing:
- The first design to hit the factory floor, the birth of the brand
- A concept coined by Alva & Peralta at the peak of their collective powers, adding an ankle collar and two-tone colouring to the upper.
- Made to take a bashing, The Old Skool is Vans’ first skate shoe that incorporated leather panels for increased durability, as well as being the first shoe to incorporate Vans’ unmistakeable side stripe.
- A transcendent style helped on by the adoption of BMX as well as Skaters. Sean Penn becomes a big fan.
- The final design of Vans’ core 5 designs, the Sk8-Hi brought protection to the ankles and revolutionary style to the skate park
With time between their initial re-release to now, the modern tweaks to the Anaheim range have propelled the deluxe (DX) offering to another level, including an ULTRACUSH innard (Vans’ memory foam sole) to enhance comfort whilst maximising style.
Treat yourself to a premium iteration of a classic with Vans’ brand new release of the Anaheim collection.