Maybe not anymore! Since in the sixties, when Paul Van Doren started his shoe company in California, Vans became more than just a skating shoe. Vans evolved into one of the most successful lifestyle brands on the market today, present in over 100 countries around the world.
And with that evolution came new models for people with different lifestyles and trends. Not only skaters are looking for comfort and support when they buy shoes; you can find Vans shoes in every corner of the world, worn by folks like football players or even sailors (we will explain about this later).
Who do Vans sponsor?
The feet of one of the most successful surfer of all times, Kelly Slater, are always warm and comfortable since he started to use Vans. The same can be said about surfers John John Florence or Jack Freestone.
Also, Nike, Inc. is one of the main supporters for sports like skateboarding or surfing.
And some other famous athletes wear Vans on a daily basis: Rob Dyrdek (professional skateboarder), Ricardo Laguna (professional surfer) just to name a few of them!
Besides these great athletes that endorse this brand, you can also find it being worn by rock stars like Katy Perry or Tommy Lee! So who else wears V? A lot more people than you might think!
So the next time you go for a walk or to work, be aware of what people are wearing on their feet. You might look at them and assume they are skaters, but maybe in fact they just like the comfort and support that Vans provides with every step.
Are Vans only for Skateboarders?
Vans is not only popular among skateboarders but also within surfers with Ricardo Laguna starting wearing Vans when he was young when his friends had Vans. Vans started to become popular among surfers, representing the culture of surfing with some people even naming themselves after the shoes they wear like Shoe-icide Squad skater Chris Cole or Girl Skateboards’ professional skateboarder, Lizzie Armanto.
How is Vans different from its competitors?
As mentioned before, one of the main differences between Vans and other brands is that there are over 100 countries where you can find it being sold.
This is because in 1966 Paul Van Doren opened up his first shop which would later on lead to him becoming one of the most successful shoe retailers in California at the time.
Vans also became more than just a skating company, they became a lifestyle brand because of their collaborations with big brands like Disney, the NBA or even Star Wars.
Vans are mainly distributed in US, UK, Australia, Japan and some other European countries but also have stores around the world.
Are Vans only sold online?
No! Of course not! If you go to New York City you will find many shops where you can buy Vans but if you don’t have time for that or want to save money there is always Amazon.com where they sell almost every model available on their website which makes it easier for people who live outside the US to get them.
Don’t forget that Amazon ships worldwide so you can enjoy your favorite shoes no matter what part of the world you are located in!
What about Vans’ sizing?
Vans have different models for men and women, that means that the sizing is not exactly the same. The classic Authentic model can be found in sizes like 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8 or 9 which is equivalent to 39 EU size (but also bigger half sizes like 7 or 7.5).
For women you might want to check out the Old Skool model which ranges from 36 EU/2-3 UK up to 42 UK/6 US with big sizes like 10 US available as well (equivalent to 42 EU).
So if you take a man’s shoe then it would be equivalent to approximately ten size smaller than women’s shoes.
The advantage of having different models for men and women is that you can have more variety to choose from. For example, I wear a 9 US but if you take the Authentic model then it would be too big for me so I would need to go with the Sk8-Hi or Era model which are both made exclusively for men.
So, are Vans only for skaters?
No! They are definitely not only made for skaters, there are many people who love them regardless what they do in life since Vans provide comfort and support which makes them even better!