OTW BY VANS X S.R. STUDIO. L.A C.A
CHAPTER 3
AUGUST 2025
OTW by Vans and Sterling Ruby collaborate for a third collision of art and design, pushing boundaries with marbled, cyber-yellow colors and sculptural designs. OTW by Vans X S.R. STUDIO LA. CA Drop 3 pairs experimental silhouettes and vivid colors with three shoe silhouettes: the Authentic 44, Old Skool 36, and Future Clog, enhanced with custom Vibram outsoles. Three bold apparel essentials finish off the collection. This time around, Sterling Ruby explores his own Dutch heritage and the function and history of workwear with a futuristic twist, creating Vans footwear and apparel reimagined as wearable art: striking, visceral, and unmistakably Sterling Ruby.
CHAPTER 2
DECEMBER 2024 (SOLD OUT)
Following the success of the first collaboration, OTW by Vans again partnered with LA-based artist Sterling Ruby, ramping things up with a full head-to-toe collection, adding apparel. Co-designed with S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA., the drop featured four custom footwear silhouettes, each built with elevated materials, S.R. Studio branding, and rugged Vibram outsoles. Designed as a simplistic yet elevated shoe Sterling could wear around his studio, bright hues matured into rich greens and golds, exploring themes of natural decay through decomposing Jack O’ Lanterns and monster claws. The expression “ABSOLUTE CONTEMPT FOR TOTAL SERENITY” paired with the visuals as a reference to Ruby’s ACTS sculpture series, depicted on each Old Skool. Completing the lineup were three elevated apparel essentials, blending utility and artful design in true Sterling Ruby fashion. Ruby also hand-selected punk-rock band Mannequin Pussy to feature in the campaign for the collection.
CHAPTER 1
FEBRUARY 2024 (SOLD OUT)
OTW by Vans joined forces with world-renowned artist Sterling Ruby and his label, S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. for their debut collaboration 'Clash The Wall', a bold, experimental collection built from four iconic Vans styles: the Old Skool 36, Authentic 44, Mid Skool 37, and Sk8-Hi 38. Reimagined in vivid monochromatic neon green and orange, the design pulls from landmark works in Ruby’s artistic archive. This sculptural take on footwear blurs the lines between fine art and skatewear.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sterling Ruby is a contemporary multimedia artist and former pro skater based in Los Angeles, California. Using multitude of mediums, including installations, paintings, ceramic pieces, and more, Ruby’s work explores various themes including power structures, art history, civilization, nature, and his own lived experience. While Sterling grew up in rural Pennsylvania, a childhood spent skateboarding—including at Camp Woodward—drew him west.
Ruby’s art has been exhibited at institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, Tokyo; and the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, to name a small few. Over the last decade, his work has expanded to include wearable clothing using hand worked fabrics functioning as wearable collages.
S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. is a ready-to-wear clothing and accessories collection by Sterling Ruby. Evolved from years of experiments in handworked textiles and cultural inquiries into traditional American craft, the brand premiered in 2019 as Special Guest of Pitti Immagine Uomo no. 96 in Florence, Italy. Ruby was subsequently invited by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode to participate in Paris Fashion Week’s 2021 Couture season. That same year work from the collection was featured prominently in The Costume Institute's "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion" exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
OTW by Vans is the most aspirational expression of Vans rooted in celebrating skateboarding’s impact on culture. OTW by Vans pushes the boundaries of product design and brand experiences with innovators from skateboarding, art, fashion, design, and entertainment.
Art is one of the brand pillars of Vans, so it is only natural to partner with one of the most groundbreaking artists of our generation. Sterling Ruby is your favorite artist’s favorite artist, and with his work spanning diverse aesthetic strategies and mediums, including wearable art through his own studio, S.R. Studio LA. CA., it follows that designing footwear and apparel for Vans would happen eventually. As a skater himself, Vans was at the top of Sterling’s list for collaborations.