Vans collaborated with artist Robert Williams on designs for footwear and apparel.
Vans has collaborated with one of American underground artist, Robert Williams, to bring his psychedelic artwork to life in a limited edition Vault by Vans capsule. The collection aims to celebrate Vans’ 50th anniversary, by bringing to life Williams’ creativity through a collection of footwear and apparel.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a new form of realism through paint presented perspectives that challenged the definition of fine art, focusing on the figurative graphics that formal art tended to reject: comic books, hot rod culture, surfer illustrations, movie posters and trading cards, to name a few. It was Robert Williams’ groundbreaking 1979 book, The Lowbrow Art of Robert Williams, that introduced the term “lowbrow” into the fine arts lexicon, fostering the evolution of “outlaw culture” in the art space. The Vault by Vans x Robert Williams offering features three prominent paintings by Robert that speak to this form of fine art including “Flaming Cobras”, “Malfeasance” and “Jalapeña.”
Robert Williams’ personal signature is highlighted on the rear foxing tape accompanied by Vans “Off The Wall” heel . Each style will be packaged with printed cotton carry bags with Robert Williams’ artwork inside of a custom pull-drawer shoebox.
The collection retails from $50 to $2,500 USD and launches globally on July 23, 2016 at select accounts including BLENDS, Hot Rod, Bodega, Si Vas Descalzo and Goodhood. Learn more about this special project at Vans.com/vault.
