Vans’ Classic Slip-On Sneaker Gets the High Fashion Treatment With New Proenza Schouler Collab

Stephen Garner

May 29, 2024 at 10:01 PM·3 min read

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After teasing its upcoming collab earlier this month, Vans’ new tie-up with Proenza Schouler is here.

According to the VF Corp-owned footwear brand, the new collaboration reinvents Vans’ iconic ‘70s slip-on silhouette by experimenting with exaggerated proportions and premium leather materials to create the Vans x Proenza Schouler Puffy Slip-On sneaker.

The style, which retails for $200, is available in three colorways including ecru, black and resin, with each shoe featuring a custom Proenza Schouler footbed and sleek glossed sidewalls. Vans said that the ecru and black colorways are now available on otw.vans.com and proenzaschouler.com, while the resin style is exclusively at the Proenza Schouler flagship store at 121 Greene Street in New York City as well as the fashion brand’s website.

“We are honored to be collaborating with Vans to reinterpret their iconic Slip-On silhouette using Proenza Schouler brand codes,” Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, creative directors and co-founders of Proenza Schouler, said in a joint statement on Wednesday. “A shared appreciation for strong design and fine craftsmanship informed the project from beginning to end. We couldn’t be more excited to finally share this project with all of you today.”

To mark the new collaboration, the duo tapped photographer Alessio Bolzoni and stylist Thistle Brown for a campaign showcasing the contrasts between the soft texture of the slip-on with urban elements of New York.

Vans’ new collection with Proenza comes one week after VF’s chief executive officer Bracken Darrell updated analysts on the footwear brand’s turnaround strategy during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

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VF last year laid out a plan to reinvigorate its struggling Vans brand and identified several missteps, including not innovating enough, becoming dependent on classics and becoming less strategic about where the brand shows up in the marketplace.

And on last week’s call, Darrell said the company was witnessing early green shoots — such as strong direct-to-consumer sales in Europe and positive Google search trends — within the Vans business, despite overall weak financial results. Vans revenue dropped 27 percent in Q4.

“I feel good about the steps we’re taking, but there’s so much more ahead of us and so much more we can do,” Darrell said. “I can see the turn ahead through the tunnel. I’m not going to sit here and predict a quarter for you, but I can see it coming.”