Vans’ premium label OTW has extended an invitation to Proenza Schouler, a fashion business in New York, to explore its history and reinvent one of its signature sneaker styles, the “Classic Slip-on.”
Vans has said that its Off the Wall (OTW) collection will debut in 2023. Vans invites companies or creative individuals to collaborate on capsule collections every season. The Californian label S.R Studio LA created the first, which was launched in February of last year. Proenza Schouler’s turn now.
The upscale clothing brand, renowned for its clean, artistic aesthetic, created a line of “puffy” slip-ons for Vans. Made of leather with pronounced shapes, they come in three colorways: pastel yellow, ecru, and black. The black and ecru variants, which retail for 200 euros, will be offered on the OTW and Proenza Schouler websites starting on May 29. Only the Proenza Schouler website and its flagship location at 121 Greene Street in New York will sell the pastel yellow variant.
Vans, which had a 26% decline in sales in the fourth quarter of 2024, is making an effort to revitalize both its product and its reputation by collaborating with innovative, high-end fashion labels. Its parent company, VF Corp, which owns The North Face, Timberland, Dickies, and other brands, is going through a difficult period. Quarterly sales are down 13%, there have been management changes, and the iconic streetwear brand Supreme, which it acquired for 2.1 billion dollars (1.94 billion euros) four years ago, may be for sale.