Andeaux: The genesis of the waffle sole was originally geared towards to sailing. How did the

 

bridge form between the decks of boats to backyard pools?

 

Doug Palladini: While the first Vans made in 1966 are deck shoes in style, they were never intended for

sailing (in fact, most traditional deck shoes had/have “siped” outsoles, which some Vans did/still do).

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Paul Van Doren was making Randy’s before Vans and actually moved to California on behalf of

 

Randolph Rubber Company. But it wasn’t until Stacy Peralta and Tony Alva came into the Santa

 

Monica Vans stores in the early 70's trying to buy one shoe at a time (they were wearing out

 

their back feet braking) that our organic bond to skateboarding was formed. The amazing film

 

Dogtown and Z-Boys picks up the story from there…

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How do you keep Paul and Steve Van Doren’s original vision valid?

 

We are incredibly fortunate to retain the Van Doren Spirit directly through the Van Doren family.

 

Founder Paul is a regular at Vans events, son Steve is our global brand ambassador, daughter

 

Cheryl leads Vans’ Human Resources, and granddaughter Kristy runs events and promotions.

 

Their sincerity, work ethic and passion pervade all that we do at Vans all over the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You eat, breathe, and sleep the “Off the Wall” mantra in and out of the office. Do you

 

remember your first pair and did you ever foresee manning the ship of a movement?

 

I grew up in Los Angeles, skating from age six and then added surfing at 13, so Vans were a

 

part of my life since I can remember. I got this board in ’79 to match my checkerboard slip-ons…

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I can’t remember specifically wanting to work at Vans, but I was always infatuated with the

 

action sports industry and used to spend days on end hanging out in surf and skate shops.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing up in Southern California and getting your first Gerry Lopez board, how did the

 

authentic action sport lifestyle appeal to you?

 

Dude you did your homework! Back in the day, print magazines were massively influential, and I

 

read every issue of Surfer and Skateboarder (until it became Action Now!) cover to cover. I had

 

a Gerry Lopez Pipeline soul arch poster on my wall and I ground down the curbs in front of our

 

house to dust. Looking back, those images and stories from the magazines were pure

 

inspiration to me and obviously got to me in a pretty powerful way.

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You moved to L.A. at 6, where sound and the street collide, from Dog Town to Black Flag.

 

What is in the brand’s recipe for attracting a core demographic to adopt Vans and not the

 

other way around?

 

It’s a good question and Vans has a good answer. We are not a sponsor of art, music, action

 

sports and street culture, we are a part of it, from the inside. This happens by being sincere,

 

honest and authentic in every way possible. We don’t slap logos on other peoples’ gigs, we

 

curate our own. We hold ourselves accountable to being enablers of creative expression in

 

youth culture. We build skateparks. We host music series’. We make films. We honor the

 

incredible work of our extended family and their efforts to create as well. It’s an ongoing

 

commitment that will never be completely satisfied.

 

In the world of action sports, you hold a grassroots strategy that include local demos,

 

and RV stops for ambassadors how does that add to authenticity to the brand’s DNA

 

since ‘66?

 

Vans is an experiential brand which means we want to be in the mix where people are doing

 

what means the most to them creatively: skating, playing music, painting, customizing bikes,

 

whatever. Sometimes the experience is very grassroots with an RV and Van Doren grilling

 

dogs, sometimes it’s the opposite end of the spectrum with a huge event such as The Vans US

 

Open of Surfing or House of Vans. Whether we are in a tiny parking lot or huge stadium, our

 

goal is to be a part of the culture that is a part of us. Paul use to use the phrase, “Tell a friend

 

about Vans” and we’ve tried to hold onto that very hand-to- hand, personal feeling as we have

 

grown.

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“Off the Wall” separates itself from the pack, while other shoe companies draw focus to

 

organized sports, Vans highlights embracing individuality. How is it having a family at

 

the HQ who share the same passion for a lifestyle?

 

Our mission is to be the global icon of creative expression in youth culture. It’s not that athletes

 

playing basketball aren’t creative, it’s that Vans’ focus is on self-expression in art, music, action

 

sports and street culture. Focus is the key word: We want to be very clear about what we are

 

and what we are not. Ubiquity is not our objective and, while we are open to anyone, we also

 

understand we are not for everyone. That common source of inspiration applies to the 550 of us

 

at Vans HQ, the thousands more who work for Vans worldwide, the thousands of extended

 

family members globally who inspire us with their creativity every day, and the tens of millions of

 

fans who honor us each time they wear something from Vans to express who they are.

 

There are countless characters in the Van’s family tree from Spicoli to banging his head

 

with a checkerboard shoe, Alan Hale on Gilligan’s Island, dropping a Johnny Ramone

 

shoe and Curren Caples taking gold at the X Games, who do you think has had the

 

biggest impact worldwide?

 

That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child! So instead of answering specifically, I would tell

 

you that from the first Era Vans dropped with Tony and Stacy, we have been committed to

 

working with skaters, surfers, snowboarders and BMX riders to drive our products and our

 

brand forward, and this amazing family of incredibly gifted misfits has left an indelible mark on

 

popular culture around the world.

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Vans is a more than just a brand, it’s a culture without borders pioneering the way we

 

walk down the street, or go down a handrail. What’s something unique that Vans will

 

bring to the table in its next 50 years?

 

Wow, thank you for that, It’s incredibly humbling to read and hear things like this; it never gets

 

old and we never take it for granted. We think of Vans in terms of heritage + progression and

 

how both work together to keep Vans relevant year in and year out. The next 50 years is all

 

about honoring our powerful legacy as we evolve and inspire. You will see new thinking from

 

Vans in footwear, apparel and accessories, but always tied to our roots: That’s our responsibility

 

to both our most loyal fans as well as those who have yet to learn about Vans.   A / F