Vans and MoMA are dropping sneakers with works from history’s most iconic artists
WORDS BY MAEVE KERR-CROWLEY
A full-on Monet.
Most FJ readers would agree that style is an art form, but Vans has taken that a step further this year by actually turning art into shoes.
After dropping (and quickly selling out) a Vincent Van Gogh capsule range in 2018, the brand decided to bring more art-inspired pieces to the table. To do so, Vans has teamed up with one of the foremost contemporary art galleries in the world: New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
You might have seen the duo’s exclusive teaser release already, in the form of a pair of colour-blocked Vans Era sneakers with graphic MoMA branding. The bright, low-cut style is only available from MoMA’s official gift store.
But the collaboration is now expanding into a full two-part collection, featuring both shoes and apparel inspired by the diverse range of artists showcased in the museum.
Part one of the collection, which drops today, centres exclusively on footwear. Classic Vans styles have been updated with some of the world’s most iconic and recognisable modern masterpieces.
The Salvador Dalí sneaker interprets the artist’s surrealist, dreamlike style as a pair of Vans Old Skools. Imagery from Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory appear on the canvas upper, while the shoe’s construction and foxing stripe are distorted for an extra trippy, reality-bending look.
The Kandinsky celebrates the colour and emotion of abstract art using the artist’s 1923 print Orange and the Vans Classic Slip-On silhouette.
Rounding out drop one is the Claude Monet style, which borrows from Monet’s renowned Water Lilies series. The artist’s richly-coloured, impressionist landscapes adorn the lace-up Vans Authentic.
This first drop from the collection is capped off by two more MoMA-branded sneakers, reminiscent of Vans and MoMA’s initial teaser release. You’ll find a colourful reinterpretation of Vans’ signature checkerboard print, available in both the ComfyCush Old Skool and Era silhouettes.
And as if that wasn’t enough, the collection will expand again before the end of the year, with an expanded footwear release and a special-edition apparel collection dropping on November 11. Intended to complement today’s drop and bring more priceless artworks into your wardrobe, this second release will include short and long sleeve shirts and pay homage to an even wider selection of artists.
Expect pieces inspired by mixed media artist Faith Ringgold, Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock and Russian avant-garde painter Lyubov Popova.
For now, you can shop part one of Vans and MoMA’s collection online and in store.
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