3 Australian creatives show us the wardrobe classics they’ve had since forever

The old faithfuls.

Wardrobe classics are those pieces that form the backbone of your style. They’re the items you reach for time and time again – regardless of the trend cycle or how many times you’ve worn it that week, you know you’ll feel your best in a wardrobe classic. Footwear brand Vans knows this better than most. It’s been creating much-loved sneakers since 1966, and as any good pair of shoes should, its styles stand the test of time.

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To celebrate the brand’s Classic Since Forever campaign, we’ve tapped three up-and-coming local creatives to share with us the pieces they’ve had for forever and to show us how they style them with a pair of Old Skool Vans.

Moksha, painter

I’m Moksha Richards, I’m a 22-year-old painter originally from the East Coast of Australia but I moved to Melbourne a couple of years ago to study art at university. I have many beautiful sentimental pieces in my wardrobe such as a 1950s suede trench from my mum’s mum and a floor-length leather jacket from my dad’s teenage punk years in Berlin.

I really felt I wanted to represent the most daily aspects of myself in these photos. A huge focus of my life is exercise, health and healing and so it only felt fitting to be wearing what I wear most – exercise clothes. I chose a sports bra and long pants in the same colours as my vans to pay at least a little attention to cohesion but mostly I just really enjoyed the unglamorous honesty of these images.

The images are taken in my studio as I touch up and work on recent paintings. My studio is very much a place of sanctuary for me. I feel that painting is a deep form of meditation and I have come to acknowledge that feeling is very much indistinguishable from what I experience through long-distance running, yoga or breathwork.

It is all flow, attention and presence. They also all share in the themes of discipline, learning and progression and I feel deeply grateful to have the opportunity to devote time and energy to these practices daily. As I have matured, simplicity has gained so much value to me and I enjoy that this outfit screams nothing but that.

@_mummys_boy_

Cooper, DJ and producer

My name’s Cooper (aka Reflex Blue). I like occasionally playing frisbee golf, drinking beers with my buds and making music. I’ve been making music for five years. I started mixing records until I thought I wanted to make my own.

I’ve been wearing and repurchasing the herringbone Stan Ray pants for the last two years – I’ve ripped a pair riding my bike and maybe jumping a fence. They’re super straight cut and just the best fit ever; I rotate between olive green and black.

[In the photos] I’m wearing a crispy white tee, a Carhartt jacket I recently retrieved after leaving it at a gig, my Stan Ray pants, navy Vans and a Noah cap. The materials are high quality and it feels clean and simple. I just moved to Brunswick and my housemate and I went for standard Sunday morning operations down Sydney Road. We hit A1 Bakery and the local fruit shop for a well-balanced feed.

@reflex__blue

Luca, stylist and creative director

Hey! My name’s Luca and I’m an aspiring stylist based in my hometown an hour south of Sydney. A year ago my best friends and I opened a store in Brunswick, Naarm called Sucker. We handle over 30 local and interstate designers, artists and creatives. Stocking pieces from clothing and jewellery to homewares and ceramics, Sucker is a genderless store that really has something for everyone.

I spend most of my time at Sucker working as a stylist, creative director and co-manager alongside Ben Tambyah and Aden Mcleod. Growing up in such an artistic household my mum and dad always encouraged us to express ourselves through creativity. My parents were punks living in London in the 80s; their fashion was very makeshift DIY, painting and safety pinning their clothes back together to give it another life.

That didn’t stop when my sister and I were born, only they started doing it to our baby clothes. The singlet I’m wearing my mum and I painted together when I was about three – miraculously it still fits me! I thought it was only right I pair my Old Skool Vans with the oldest piece of clothing I own. A 20-year-old scribbly singlet and my fave pair of Dickies shorts, like the pair dad wore when I was growing up.

You’ll rarely catch me wearing something that actually fits… it’ll either be way too big or way too small. I love the contrast of the super baggy with the teeny tiny; this is what I feel most confident in. You can definitely see that coming through in this outfit! I thought I’d head to my favourite store and the place that I’ve been going to since forever, the op shop.

@lucapearl

You can explore Vans’ full range here.