Vans off the Wall turns 50

The most awesomely core brand in surfing (and skating) just turned 50. Started in 1966 by Paul Van Doren in Anaheim, California, Vans have stuck to their roots and conquered the skate and surf world. Their kicks pop up on the feet of everyone from Alex Knost – one of their many meticulously handpicked team riders, – to Kanye West (‘Some days I’m in my Yeezys, some days I’m in my Vans’). The way that Vans has managed to get so huge, but still be a core surf and skate brand is a piece of marketing art, and they’ve done it through perfectly execute collaborations – the latest featuring punk poet icon Henry Rollins – and by sticking to the blue print of one hell of a shoe.

To celebrate the big 50, Vans have been throwing parties all over the world, Dizzee Rascal played in London, Nas and Yeasayer in NYC, Black Rebel in Sao Paulo, and Wu-Tang (ain’t nuthin’ to fuck with) performed in Mexico City. And that’s just a snippet. Jeez, that’s how you celebrate a birthday! And they gifted all of their team riders with custom Sk8 Hi’s Vans with their names engraved on the back. If there’s one unifying factor among the miscreants that make up the Stab staff, it’s that we all wear Vans. Given the myriad of vanities that populate this most strange of workplaces, that’s no mean feat. Happy birthday Vans, keep making the world just that little bit more interesting.