Iconic Vans Checkerboard pattern

18th May 2021 | 0 comments

The story of the checkerboard pattern so characteristic of the Vans brand begins about ten years after the Vans #48 style - now known as Slip-On - was introduced.

Steve Van Doren, the son of founder Paul, noticed that teenage skateboarders adorned the midsole of their shoes to create a checkerboard effect. Van Doren decided to further develop this idea by printing a pattern on the linen upper of the Slip-Ons. This is how the famous checkerboard pattern was born.

Around the same time, the second wave of the "two-color" "ska" style of music also rose in the UK. The related movement sought to overcome racial tensions in a politically volatile era, and groups that promoted it, such as The Specials, used a checkerboard pattern as a symbol of racial unity. The checkerboard pattern Vans Slip-On soon became a favorite among fans of the subculture.

Meanwhile, overseas, the Vans brand has become literally ubiquitous, especially on the California skateboard scene. Just a few years earlier, skateboarders had favored the Old Skool model with a leather toe and padded heel. Thanks to the collaboration with the legendary skateboarder Stacy Peralta and the introduction of the slogan "Off the Wall", the Vans brand has become essencial for both skateboarders and consumers with a unique sense of style.

Despite the brand's rapidly growing popularity, a real turning point toward mass brand awareness came when a Universal Pictures representative asked to collaborate on the upcoming Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It was the first major film for teenagers from the 1980s.

The film's star, actor Sean Penn, is said to have chosen a checkerboard style himself, and his character Jeff Spicoli ("Spicoli" is still a popular model of sunglasses) is dressed in his favorite black and white slip-ons on the screen. In fact, the shoes were such an important part of the film that they ended up on the cover of the soundtrack

After the film's theatrical release, Vans shoe sales skyrocketed, and the brand literally became well-known and sought after overnight.

Today, the typical Vans checkerboard print can be seen not only on skateboarders on the ramp, but also on celebrities on the red carpet and everywhere between the two worlds. Collaborations with leading designers, artists and brands such as Marc Jacobs, Marvel and Disney have further strengthened the brand's exceptional position in the fashion and cultural world.