Customade since ‘66

Since 1966 we have been championing creative self-exploration through Vans Customs. Originating in Southern California during the late ‘60s, we empowered our customers to create custom one-of-a-kind Vans shoes by allowing them to use their very own fabrics for them. Matching Hawaiian shirts, dresses, and school uniforms, our early slogan “customade shoes for the entire family” spoke to this unique capability. Encouraged to use any textile they desired, our customers were enabled to be individualistic creative expressors long before skateboarding, youth culture, and national advertising entered our purview.

By 1976 when the Era, our first “skateboard shoe,” debuted, we offered skaters the ability to customize the colors of their Eras by selecting up to three different colors for its canvas upper. Our customization abilities expanded in the early ‘80s when we allowed our customers to add “friction scenes”—colorful unique designs printed on the rubber sidewalls of their Vans shoes—for an even more personal touch. Today, Vans Customs continues this Off the Wall tradition through our online design platform, offering more ways to customize Vans shoes than ever before. With enhanced features such as uploading photographs or artworks or adding embroidered details, Vans Customs continues to celebrate individuality and style in a radically authentic way.

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