Vans
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Lil Uzi Vert has added model to their resume, starring in Vans‘ latest Premium Old Skool campaign.
The “Just Wanna Rock” rapper showcased the brand’s iconic sneaker silhouette in true Uzi fashions, worn with on-trend baggy streetwear, maximalist jewelry and punk-esque spikey hair. The two styles spotlit for the campaign included the Premium Old Skool in Black/White and Old Skool in True White.
The musician seems like the obvious choice for the face of the campaign. They’re a bastion of experimental style, music and culture, facets that perfectly align with the Vans brand DNA. Dropped back in 1977, the Vans Old Skool quickly became a favorite following its release, standing as a symbol of skate culture and street style all around the world.
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Uzi is no stranger to skate culture. Growing up in Philidelphia, a city boasting a rich skateboarding culture spanning decades, the lifestyle was bound to rub off on them. The rapper has been known to share their skateboarding escapades, posting videos of practiced and perfected kickflips on occasion. This, mixed with their love of the punk rock genre, makes Uzi a pretty perfect candidate for Vans’ Premium Old Skool campaign. Wanna get like Uzi? Here’s how to shop the beloved styles seen on the star in the campaign.
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Premium Old Skool Shoe in Black/White
$90.00
$90.00
Black-and-white low-top Vans with platform-esque soles.
Vans’ Old Skool just got a premium upgrade. Retailing for $90 this updated classic features all the details fans loved about the OG, but with elevated comfort. It’s all about the Sola Foam All-Day-Comfort insoles. This anti-fatigue detail is made of 30% bio-based materials that cushion the feet. There are also the classic black-and-white canvas uppers with that instantly recognizable side striping that tethers the style to the original.
The leather collar lining is enforced with padding and raised slightly, adding extra comfort. White cotton laces give way to platform-esque rubber soles, offering the wearer a subtle lift. It’s a style that aptly pays homage to the Old Skool legacy made for all-day wear. Worn with streetwear or your favorite athleisure pieces, these timeless sneakers will fit right into your wardrobe.
Old Skool Canvas Shoe in “True White”
A monochrome white canvas sneaker.
It’s all about the classics. Vans’ Old Skool sneaker is a tried-and-true model loved by skaters and sneaker enthusiasts alike. The True White colorway is a monochrome model with sturdy canvas uppers and cotton laces. Signature rubber waffle soles give way to padded collars that give the wearer added support.
The low-top sneaker also includes reinforced toe caps to withstand wear and tear on the skateboard. Whether you’re a skateboarding pro or a sneaker fanatic, these would make a great addition to your footwear rotation. They’re versatile, thanks to the monochrome colorway, and super comfortable.
“What we continue to try to drive toward as a company is maintaining this sense of heritage, this sense of the familiar and keeping that kind of core spirit alive, and then modernizing it through elevated materials, construction,” said Diandre Fuentes, head designer of footwear at Vans, via statement. “Once you put it on, you’ll immediately notice enhanced comfort.”
Vans and a Brooklyn art collective have reached a settlement to end a long-running trademark lawsuit over Tyga‘s “Wavy Baby” sneakers – a parody of the company’s classic Old Skool.
Vans claimed the shoe, released in 2022 by a group called MSCHF, was “blatant” infringement. The creators argued it was legal parody protected by the First Amendment since it was designed to criticize “sneakerhead” consumerist culture. But federal courts repeatedly ruled for Vans.
On Tuesday, attorneys for both sides told a federal judge they had agreed to resolve the lawsuit. MSCHF agreed that the “Wavy Baby” had infringed Vans’ trademarks and agreed to never sell it again. Other terms of the “confidential settlement agreement,” including a potential monetary payment, were not disclosed in court filings. Neither side immediately returned request for comment.
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Tyga announced the Wavy Baby in April 2022, sparking plenty of buzz but also immediate comparisons to Vans. Footwear News said the shoe “appears to be loosely based on the classic Vans Old Skool” that had been altered with a “wave-like aesthetic.” The site HighSnobiety went with a bolder headline: “MSCHF & Tyga’s Insane Skate Shoes Look Like Liquified Vans.”
Three days before the shoes were set to drop, Vans filed a lawsuit – claiming MSCHF’s sneakers violated its trademark rights and demanding an immediate restraining order. The lawsuit targeted only MSCHF itself and did not name Tyga (real name: Micheal Stevenson) as a defendant.
Legal trouble was nothing new for MSCHF: the group had previously partnered with Lil Nas X to release a “Satan Shoe” that looked like a pair of Nikes – and had been promptly hit with a similar infringement lawsuit from that sneaker giant. They quickly reached a settlement that saw MSCHF issue voluntary recall on the shoes and offer a buy-back program.
In the case over Tyga’s sneaker, Vans argued that consumers would think Wavy Baby was an authorized product artist endorsement deal rather than a parody by a separate company. The company cited previous partnerships with A$AP Rocky, Metallica and Foo Fighters.
“Given Vans’ history of collaborations with musical artists, on information and belief, the collaboration between MSCHF and Michael Stevenson is intended to deceive consumers into believing they are purchasing a product made by, sponsored by, approved by, or otherwise associated with Vans,” the company’s lawyers wrote at the time.
Unlike the Nike case, MSCHF fought back against the case filed by Vans. It admitted that the Wavy Baby was based on the Old Skool, but said it had a legal right under the First Amendment to use the shoe as “the cultural and physical anchor when creating its art.” The company said it wanted to critique “consumerism inherent in sneakerhead culture” and “the phenomenon of sneaker companies collaborating with anyone to garner clout and shoe sales.”
But a federal judge quickly rejected those arguments and issued a restraining order banning MSCHF from selling any more Wavy Babys. In issuing his ruling, Judge William F. Kuntz said that he – and, more importantly, consumers – didn’t quite get the joke.
“Whatever the actual artistic merits of the Wavy Baby shoes, the shoes do not meet the requirements for a successful parody,” the judge wrote in his April 2022 decision. “While the manifesto accompanying the shoes may contain protected parodic expression, the Wavy Baby shoes and packaging in and of themselves fail to convey the satirical message.”
A federal appeals court later upheld that ruling.
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