by Paris — Vans are in a state of mind in Paris.
One year after launching its OTW initiative with Vans with a Plexiglas skate ramp by the Seine, the shoe brand is returning to Paris Men’s Fashion Week with a series of events at the crossroads of skateboarding and culture – and this time, he is building the Sacré-Coeur.
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Despite traffic restrictions ahead of the Olympic Games, Vans are building skating gear in front of the basilica that dominates the Montmartre hillside district.
On Friday, which will celebrate the Fête de la Musique and the Go Skateboarding Day, there will be a live skating exhibition and performances by leading French and international actors.
It’s an ambitious statement from the brand, which is in the middle of a turnaround effort after two quarters of steep sales decline – even as some are touting its Classic Slip-On style as the shoe of summer 2024.
“Use this moment to build these unique experiences, storytelling that really makes a difference, it’s what really makes the difference, and it’s what’s transforming our brand going forward,” said Drieke Leenknegt, Vans global chief marketing officer.
There are three aspects to Paris’s activism.
On Tuesday, his “Commitment to Progress” gallery tour, featuring the work of industry legend and longtime collaborator Anthony Van Engelen, landed in the French capital after stops in Los Angeles, Shanghai and Seoul. It included a public skate jam on the Place de la Bastille, a rallying point for riders in Paris.
On Wednesday, Vans was set to host a party for “Atiba Jefferson: Skate Photography,” an exhibit curated by Architecture, the creative studio founded by the late Virgil Abloh, documenting 30 years of Jefferson’s work. This is the second stop of the show after its first time in Miami last December.
The brand is building its skate installation for OTW (Off the Wall) at Vans with LA-based creative studio Playlab, Inc. and California Skateparks, which also built the facility for the Street League Skateboarding championship in Paris in February.
A teaser on Vans’ dedicated OTW Instagram account showed a truck in a quarry, with details of the event chiseled on a marble slab, but the brand said the skate park would be made of a mix of concrete, wood and foam.
“They took the inspiration of the marble inside and then used it to build the skating art form that will be front and center in front of the Sacré-Coeur,” Leenknegt said, without elaborating.
She admitted the logistics were challenging, with parts of the city blocked to traffic as local authorities began construction on key competition sites in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
“It’s always difficult to create a new space but at the same time, it’s the most exciting thing to do,” she said, comparing the brand’s intention to the mindset of a cyclist.
“When you go ‘off the wall’, and you’re up in the air, you never know if you’re going to land safely. So the attitude, which is also the attitude of young people, is quite determined,” she said.
Along with the event, Vans is dropping a sneaker designed by Dutch artist Piet Parra, known for his surreal bird-like characters, which will be available exclusively in Paris for friends of the brand.
Vans have been keen to have a presence in the French capital ahead of the Olympics, which will mark only the second time skateboarding has been included as an official competition.
“We serve riders all over the world and it’s always a win for us as a brand to celebrate that moment, at scale,” said Leenknegt.
She’s especially excited about the new generation of riders like Arisa Trew, who recently achieved a milestone in skateboarding history by becoming the first woman to land a 900, a two-and-a-half aerial flip performed on a ramp.
“The future of female riders is amazing and I’m so passionate about this, because they’re going to redefine skateboarding, and they’re redefining it now for the future,” she said.
After posting a 26 percent drop in sales in the fiscal fourth quarter, Leenknegt said the VF Corp.-owned brand. responding well to new styles, including the Vans AVE 2.0, billed as the “highest skate shoe ever,” and the latest iteration of the Knu Skool.
“We’re seeing great progress,” said the executive, who joined Vans last year from Timberland, which is also owned by VF. “There is great interest in the product innovation and new designs we are bringing to market. The AVE 2.0 with knitted uppers is resonating around the world.”
However, she declined to share any specific sales data or comment on when the brand expected revenue to improve.
Meanwhile, Vans’ cult slip-on style, originally released in 1977, is trending on TikTok after being worn by celebrities including Emily Ratajkowski and Sofia Richie, as well as influential designer Renggli Morgan Stewart McGraw. Likewise, Leenknegt did not share any insights on whether that has translated into sales.
“It’s an honor that people around the world are celebrating our brand and celebrating our iconic products,” she said.
While Vans has been building its fashion credentials with partnerships like its recent collaboration with Proenza Schouler, skateboarding is front and center as it tries to regain its footing.
“We’re reminding ourselves and the world that skateboarding and skateboarding culture is at the heart of this brand,” said Leenknegt. “Sometimes, we lose sight of that.”
She said additional initiatives would be shared in July as part of the brand’s wider “Always Pushing” campaign. “It’s just the beginning,” she promised.
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