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My best friend died almost exactly 6 years ago to the day, and I haven't really skated since.
I think as we got older (late 30's), I only kept skating because it's what we always did together since we were 12.
R.I.P. Why not have a little sesh in his memory?
Vans as a "core" brand is pretty delusional, but try explaining that to some dumbass billboard kid who also has the shirt to match in case people are confused.
I can tell you this from personal knowledge. I’m pretty sure I’ve stated it a number of times, so it feels like I’m beating a dead horse, but when VANS sold themselves to VF Corp they had an extremely unique contract situation where essentially they got to keep creative control of the brand, while also keeping complete control of the skate sides money allocation including contests/charity. The only thing VF corp has control of is production and who is selling the product(not just core shops), but the actual marketing and skate team and skate parks and contest series are being controlled by those that were in charge before the change. Therefore comparing them to say Nike or Adidas is a joke because they didn’t completely sell out.
So basically what your saying is they are owned by a corporation which could hypothetically shut them down at any time if its not profitable.
No there’s something in the contract preventing this or else VF has to give it back over with all the growth they gave it as well. It’s very complicated but the people who told me, I trust very heavily, prolly more then anyone out there as a matter of fact.
Let's just say this is wrong....okay.
Why would you skate shoes other than Vans? Maybe you like they way they look, feel, the comfort-ability they afford your feet.
I just don't understand why anyone would wear anything else than Vans or Emerica's. Trust me I'm pigeonholing myself and I know this, but when I see someone skating in Nike's or Adidas it just looks wrong
People have been skating Nike Blazers, a basket ball shoe, since the 70s. Even your Van's messenger explained in a Love Letters how Nike sponsored entire teams like G&S (go look up Neil Blender photos) in the 80s.
Adidas and Nike were all over skating in the 90s because minus the HalfCab, no one wanted to skate the shitty Van's shoes that were hard to find anyway.
Then look at whatever the fuck Van's did to try to stay relavent when Es and Axion took over for a bit. The Cab 5 or 6 or whatever the fuck. Van's were hurting then.
Then go examine the first issue of Thrasher. The cover specifically. Then think about your opinion some more.
And throw the word "core" out of your vocabulary. That shit doesn't exist.
You my friend have completely missed the point. I know, and respect, the history of skateboarding to the fullest. I also respect pro skaters taking the money they rightly have earned to put their bodies on the line. Take that Nike Check, take that Red Bull check...cash in from Levi's or BMW
But this is a "Say Something Honest" thread:
When I was growing up... "This is Skateboarding" had just come out and I fell in love with Emerica's. At the time, you didn't see to many pro's rocking Nike's, the first person that comes to mind is Bam in "Jump of a Building" and that was a few years before.
Moreover, I grew up in Northern VA, which at the time had the largest indoor skatepark in the world...go figure it gets torn down a few years later because the mall in which it was built didn't like skaters kids hanging around. Hence, my love of Vans grew out of having this skatepark in my own local city. I wore the Rowley's everyday for years.
So to be honest...when I see kids today skating in anything but Vans or Emerica's it generally bums me out. Occasionally, I'll see someone wearing Lakai's but that is few and far between today. Hence... I don't like seeing people wear: Nike, Converse, Adidas, or New Balance. This is just my own personal preference, but to me, it looks strange