With almost a decade of collaborative projects behind them, the Vans x WTAPS releases have grown to become one of the most highly anticipated events on the fashion and sneaker lovers calendar. Coming together once again for Fall 2015, Tetsu Nishiyama’s WTAPS delve into the Californian skate giants extensive archive to produce an eight-piece footwear collection full of clean designs.
Earlier this year Vans released their collaborative Sk8-Hi with respected Russian creative Gosha Rubchinskiy, and seemingly things couldn’t get any better than that in terms of execution and design. Well WTAPS may well have just come along and trumped it as they rework 3 key styles: the OG Era LX, the OG Style 36 LX (the original Old Skool) and the beloved SK8-Hi, all completed with quality in craftsmanship and an attention to detail that is undoubtably WTAPS. Aligning with WTAPS unique approach to aesthetic, the “Original Classics” collection looks to footwear silhouettes in their truest forms – their original forms, and unlocks each styles full potential.
The bold OG Era LX rework draws inspiration from traditional Japanese school uniforms known as the “uwabaki” concept – applying red, blue and green to the sole units, which originally signified a student’s grade level. The shoe arrives with a true white canvas upper, tonal lacing and a custom WTAPS tab. The OG SK8-Hi LX was chosen because its a personal favourite of the WTAPS founder, and for the capsule release, it has been infused with elements of the styling from the Vans Caballero, which was first introduced back in 1989. Embossed reptile nubuck and a durable suede mix graces the upper, and is available in grey/black and all-black colour options. Rounding off the release is the OG Style 36 LX, reworked with a premium brushed suede in 3 rich colour ways of black, burgundy and navy iterations. Once again featuring the custom WTAPS tab, nice touches in the leather side stripe and WTAPS tongue label complete the look.
The Vault by Vans x WTAPS “Original Classics” Collection drops tomorrow (12th September 2015) in limited quantaties at select retailers including Dover Street Market, Goodhood, Sneakersnstuff & Offspring
