Old School Vans Shoes

Who doesn't love a pair of old school Vans shoes?

Though teenagers from every generation like to lay claim to trends they think are new, especially since these classic shoes have experienced a resurgence in popularity recently, people have been donning Vans since 1966. The Van Doren Rubber Company introduced Vans in 1966. The company had a measure of success among the skate and surf crowd in California for almost two decades, until Paul Van Doren tried to expand the brand into the sports arena.

If you have ever personally owned a pair a Vans, then you are well aware of the fact that these flat soled shoes, while extremely comfortable, are not well suited for sports. Given that fact, The Van Doren Rubber Company filed for bankruptcy in the early 1980s. As we all know, bankruptcy doesn't necessarily mean the end of company, and for Vans the saving grace was none other than Jeff Spicoli.

If you didn't already know, Jeff Spicoli was a character played by Sean Penn in the 1982 classic teenage film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Yes, before Sean Penn became the award-winning actor, director and all around consummate actor he is today, he spout out lines like "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz and I'm fine." It was this Jeff Spicoli that wore a pair of Vans in the film. Based on that fact alone, sales of Vans went from tens of millions to hundreds of millions and the company was completely solvent, not to mention profitable.

Today, Vans is an internationally recognized brands with a ton of great designs. They even offer consumers the opportunity to design their own shoe, but for the die-hard Vans fan, nothing ever beats the classic, old school Vans shoes.

If you love the design and feel of old school Vans, you're in luck. Many of them have been re-released under different names. Of all the Vans shoes, the two most popular old school designs remain the #44 and the #95.

This is the original Vans shoe now going by the name the "Authentic". The design of this shoe is a classic deck shoe in blue. Turns out these shoes were so popular, many customers were coming in requesting custom made shoes. Vans now offers the "Authentic" in a bunch of different solid colors and a couple of different patterns like checkerboard and pinstriped.

The #95, now going by the name of the "Era", was developed by world champion skateboarder Tony Alva and skateboarder and surfer Stacy Peralta. This shoe still keeps within the classic old school deck shoe design, but has the added feature of a padded collar. In an interview with Sneaker Freaker magazine, Steve Van Doren said the design of the #95's padded collar was to protect skaters' ankles when the "...board flew off the pool."

The "Era" comes in a number of different designs and colors. If you want, you can even customize your very own pair of Vans "Era" at the Vans Shoes website.

Here is a short list of stores that offer all different types of Vans shoes:

• Vans.com – Check out the whole range of products Vans has to offer. If you are looking to customize a pair of shoes, this is the place to go.
• In Step Dr. Martens – This website has classics like the Era, along with the contemporary designs such as:
• Gisele
• Prison Issue
• Ferris
• Daphne
• Zapato

Vans shoes, whether old school or new school, have been and will always remain timeless classics. The company continues to evolve and every new product they offer is in high demand. An example of this evolution is their line of "green" items that include:

• Organic canvas shoes
• Jute canvas shoes
• Hemp canvas shoes
• Hemp infused rubber soles
• Organic cotton clothing

Once a product meant for the niche crowd of skaters and surfers, Vans is now a global, multi-million dollar company. Its shoes and clothing appeal throughout generations and across all age and race barriers.

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