Vans and Slam Jam have joined forces once again in a three-way collab with LA-based brand FUCT for a collection that’s an homage to OG Californian skate style. The five-piece sneaker release, which drops later this month, features reissues of the LX Old Skool and the LX Authentic.
The collaboration celebrates the roots of the LA skater subculture, which was pioneered by Vans and later FUCT, who both played a major role in the zeitgeist. While now it might seem as though skater culture has always been part of the mainstream, it wasn’t always like that. When Vans was founded back in the ‘60s skateboarding was very much in its early days – Californian surfers would “sidewalk surf” when the waves were flat.
It wasn’t until the ‘90s that skateboarding rose into the mainstream. That’s when FUCT (Friends U Can’t Trust) – founded by LA-based artist and designer Erik Brunetti, and his then partner pro skateboarder Natas Kaupas – came into the skate scene.
The LA label got their clout through editorials and advertising in cult skater magazines such as Thrasher, and its baggy pants and oversized tees with fun graphics and logos quickly became synonymous with the subversive skate culture of the ‘90s. You might recognise its popular Ford logo. Also, in 2008 the brand launched an exclusive line in Japan called SSDD (Same Shit, Different Day) – you can find some key pieces on Grailed.
The collab with Vans includes fire Old Skools and Authentics with the FUCT logo over the shoe. It drops September 13th on fuct.com, and releases on Slam Jam and Vans on September 19th.
Featured image Vans x Slam Jam©
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