Vans has unveiled its new top category called OTW by Vans. The VF Corp brand explains that it is a “new platform where the brand’s most elevated product expressions and brand experiences come together with the innovators of art, design, style, skate culture and entertainment.” As a result, the previous flagship product category, The Vault by Vans, will be phased out by the end of 2023, clearing the way for the launch of OTW by Vans in early 2024 with its own distinctive e-commerce experience and availability at a curated selection of wholesale partners worldwide.
Back to the roots
OTW by Vans was conceived under the direction of Ian Ginoza, Vice President, Creative Direction of the Pinnacle Strategic Business Unit at Vans. By focusing on the brand’s skateboarding origins, OTW aims to create a distinctive and unique back-to-the-roots angle. ”We are rooting the next chapter of Vans in the attitude and mindset of the brand’s true self, defined and shaped by the community of original disruptors. Skateboarding embraced us many years ago from the fringe to drive culture forward,” said Ginoza. “Every step forward will be embedded in that original spirit of defiance and exploration as the pioneers and trailblazers of skateboarding did many years ago and that skateboarders continue to do today. OTW by Vans is a reorientation back to who we truly are… back to ‘Off The Wall’.”
Two new product lines
Under OTW by Vans, there will be two distinct lines: OTW, a designated area for product exploration in collaboration with partners to push the boundaries of design expression, and Premium Standard, an upscale premium collection of Vans classics. Both categories are overseen by the OTW by Vans team, appointed by Ginoza. This includes Dylan Petrenka, Design Director, Footwear, and Lanie Alabanza-Barcena, Design Director, Apparel & Accessories, who are driving the evolution of Vans’ 50+ year heritage into the future.
New collabs, first reveal at Paris Fashion Week SS24
OTW by Vans is open to new collaborators, starting with S.R. STUDIO LA. CA. by Sterling Ruby, whose first collection will launch in early 2024. “It is a personal collaboration; it is the first SR. STUDIO. LA. CA. collaboration. Vans feels right to us; it defines a certain West Coast history,” said Ruby. “The company started in 1966 and has run in tandem with so many skaters, bands, and movements that have been influential to me, my art, and how my studio runs as a whole.”
Ahead of the category’s retail launch, OTW by Vans will debut a sneak peek at major events worldwide, including a live skate exhibition in collaboration with Playlab, Inc. and California Skateparks at Paris Fashion Week Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 (June 20-25, 2023).
