Prolific artist and consistent Vans collaborator Taka Hayashi is releasing another collection with the with the skate-brand giant.
It’s not the first time Vans has looked to Taka to decorate their iconic shoe profiles with his art, a simple Google search will give you more than a few examples of their past collaborations. In fact, the Vault by Vans store on Grand St. (which is well worth the visit for fans of Vans and general fashion-heads alike) has a section displaying the numerous shoes Taka has designed for them. When an artist typically designs sneakers for any company, it’s typically just that a piece laid over an existing shoe, which is cool, but leaves a lot to be desired in the creativity department.
However, this is not the case with Taka’s collaboration. Looking at these latest kicks, and even ones from the past, it’s clear that Taka isn’t just putting his art on a template, rather designing a shoe from the bottom up. The high top pair from this collaboration is my personal favorite, featuring leather that’s been embossed with Native American-esque symbols, a style that seems to be a strong theme in Taka’s work. I feel that the shoe hits a good balance between something you can wear everyday, and something you can slip into more formal attire.
If you find yourself shopping near Grand st. make sure to stop by Vault by Vans and check out the Taka collaboration.