Vans

This article is about the apparel company. For the road vehicle, see Van. For other uses, see Vans (disambiguation).

Vans

Vans "Vans off the wall"
Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Apparel
Founded	March 16, 1966
Founder	Paul Van Doren, Gordon C. Lee, James Van Doren, and Serge D'Elia
Headquarters	Cypress, California, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Clothing Footwear Accessories
Owner	Paul Van Doren, Gordon C. Lee, James Van Doren, and Serge D'Elia
Parent	VF Outdoor Inc., a subsidiary of VF Corporation
Website	www.vans.com

Vans headquarters in Cypress, California

Vans is an American manufacturer of shoes, based in Cypress, California—the company also produces apparel, and other products such as T-shirts, hoodies, socks, hats, and backpacks. As of August 2013, the brand is active in the actions sports industry and sponsors skateboard, surf, snow, BMX, and motocross teams.

History

Founding

On March 16, 1966, at 704 East Broadway in Anaheim, California, U.S., brothers Paul Van Doren and James Van Doren, Gordon Lee, and Serge D'Elia opened the first Vans store under the name The Van Doren Rubber Company. Paul Van Doren and D'Elia owned the majority of the company, while James Van Doren and Lee each owned a 10 percent stake. The business manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. On that first morning, twelve customers purchased Vans deck shoes, which are now known as "Authentic". The company displayed three styles of shoes, which were priced between US$2.49 and US$4.99, but on the opening day, the company had only manufactured display models without any inventory ready to sell—the store rack boxes were actually empty.

Nevertheless, the twelve customers selected the colors and styles they desired, and were asked to return later in the afternoon to pick up their purchases. Paul Van Doren and Lee then rushed to the factory to manufacture the selected shoes. When the customers returned that afternoon to pick up their shoes, Paul Van Doren and Lee realized that they had forgotten to maintain a cash reserve to provide change to customers. The customers were therefore given the shoes and asked to return the following day with their payments. All twelve of the customers returned the following day to pay for their items.

1970s

The company continued to grow into the 1970s. Skateboarders who liked Vans' rugged make-up and sticky sole were seen wearing Vans all over Southern California in the early 1970s. In 1975, the Vans "#95", known today as the "Era", was designed by professional skateboarder Tony Alva and skateboarding figure Stacy Peralta. With a padded collar and different color combinations, the Era became the shoe of choice for a generation of skateboarders due to the non-slip bottom being more conducive for a better grip.

In 1976, Vans introduced the "#44" shoe, and with the help of skateboarders and BMX riders, the Vans "Slip-On" became popular in Southern California. By the end of the 1970s, Vans had established seventy stores in California, U.S., and sold through dealers, both nationally and internationally.

During this period the company also produced wool-lined canvas and rubber mukluks, under contract to the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force.

1980s

During the 1980s, Paul Van Doren began to take a less significant role in the company’s activities. During this period, Vans started to create shoes for a number of sports, including: skateboarding, wakeboarding, motocross, and surfing in an effort to compete with the large athletic shoe companies. Vans Slip-ons gained international attention and appeal when they were worn by Sean Penn in the 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Bankruptcy

Vans owed US$12 million in debt by the end of 1984 and Paul Van Doren later filed for bankruptcy. After two years, Paul Van Doren finished paying his debts and once he regained his company, the demand for shoes was extremely high. Vans subsequently produced over two million shoes and generated over US$50 million.

1988–1989

In 1988, Paul Van Doren sold the Vans company to the banking firm McCown De Leeuw & Co. for US$74.4 million. In 1989, many manufacturers of counterfeit Vans shoes were apprehended by the US and Mexican officials and ordered to cease production.

1990s

Vans closed their Anaheim, California factory and began manufacturing footwear overseas in 1994. Also in 1994, Vans sponsored the inaugural Triple Crown skateboard contest series that developed into the Vans Triple Crown contest series. In 1998 Vans opened the 46,000-square-foot (4,300 m²), indoor-outdoor Vans Skate park at the Block in Orange County, U.S.

2000s

At the commencement of the 21st century, Steve Van Doren, the son of Paul Van Doren, remains with the company, as does his sister Cheryl and his daughter Kristy. In 2000 and 2001, Forbes recognized Vans as one of "America’s Best Small Companies."

In 2002, Vans opened an enclosed skatepark in the Festival Bay Mall on International Drive in Orlando, Florida that was eventually closed on January 21, 2012. At this time, the shoes were still being sold for as little as US$45.

In 2004, Vans launched the Vans "Customs" feature on its website, whereby customers could log onto the Vans website and design their own pair of Vans slip-ons, mid-cuts, or high-tops.

In 2004 Vans announced it would be merged into North Carolina based VF Corporation.

2010s

As of August 2013, the Vans skateboard team is filming a video and team rider Geoff Rowley explained in an August 2013 interview that the video will represent a team of grateful Vans riders returning the support that they have received from the shoe brand thus far. Skateboard filmmaker Greg Hunt, who previously worked on the Alien Workshop video Mindfield, is solely responsible for the video and it is the first-ever project that Hunt has been given complete creative control over.

As of 2015, customers can design their own custom Era, Slip-On, Old Skool, Authentic, Authentic Lo-Pro, 106 Vulcanized, Chukka Low, and Sk8-Hi shoes.

Teams

Skateboard

Skate team members are the following:

Signature

• Gilbert Crockett
• Chima Ferguson
• Geoff Rowley
• Tony Trujillo
• Anthony Van Engelen
• Shade Noble

Pro

• Andrew Allen
• Pedro Barros
• Elijah Berle
• Curren Caples
• Jason Dill
• Dustin Dollin
• Omar Hassan
• Daniel Lutheran
• Alex Perelson
• Chris Pfanner
• Kyle Walker

Amateur

• Lizzie Armanto
• Rowan Zorilla

Legend

• Tony Alva
• Ray Barbee
• Steve Caballero
• John Cardiel
• Jeff Grosso
• Christian Hosoi

Surf

• Ryan (The Jewish Thunder) Emmert
• Nathan Fletcher

Men

• John John Florence
• Dane Reynolds
• Patrick Gudauskas
• Tanner Gudauskas
• Dane Gudauskas
• Nathan Fletcher
• Joel Tudor
• Alex Knost
• Andrew Doheny
• Dylan Graves
• Kalani Chapman
• Shea Lopez
• Nathan Florence
• Ivan Florence
• Kai "Borg" Garcia
• Josh Mulcoy
• Jared Mellb

Women

• Leila Hurst
• Tyler Schisler
• Savannah Bily

Snow

• Pat Moore
• Andreas Wiig
• Zac Marben
• Darrell Mathes
• Mark Landvik
• Hana Beaman
• Markus Keller
• Arthur Longo
• Jake Kuzyk
• Eric Willett
• Cheryl Maas
• Iouri Podladtchikov
• Wolle Nyvelt
• Mike Rav
• Dillon Ojjo
• Sam Taxwood
• DANIMALS

BMX

• Ryan Guettler
• Scotty Cranmer
• Cory Nastazio
• Gary Young
• Tyler Morrow
• Sean Sexton
• Francisco Zurita
• Daniel Sandoval
• Dennis McCoy
• Alex Donnachie
• Dakota Roche
• Brian Kachinsky
• Tyler Fernengel
• Pat Casey
• Mike "Hucker" Clark

Warped Tour

Vans has sponsored the Warped Tour for over 15 years.

Worker Rights

Vans currently has a rating of "C" for not ensuring that workers receive a living wage.

Public skate parks

A young boy skateboarding with Vans shoes

The company built its first free skate park in Huntington Beach, California which was opened to the public in 2014. It includes a 17,500-square-foot (1,630 m²) skate bowl and a 25,000-square-foot (2,300 m²) skate plaza. The park is 42,500 square feet (3,950 m²) and Vans pays the city US$1 per year for the 20-year lease. This park is open 7 days a week.

The first skate park was opened in 1998 at the Outlets of Orange. It features a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m²) indoor street course, a Combi pool, which is 12 feet (3.7 m) deep, an area for amateurs, mini ramps, an outdoor street course, and an arcade. The park was updated in 2008.

There is also a skate park in London, in The Old Vic Tunnels called House of Vans.

External links

• Official website