“can vans recapture its cool?
vans is making headway in winning back customers with unconventional new products, though overall sales are still sliding.
vans is throwing its classic sneakers in a blender. it reworked its staple old skool by outfitting it with rugged vibram hiking soles, ultra-strong dyneema fabric uppers and a rotary lacing system. another version swapped the shoe’s canvas upper for a multi-coloured, mesh knit. it put metal rivets in the usually sedate authentic 44, and has given over its treasured icons to partners like artist sterling ruby.
the shoes are some of the more adventurous experiments from the brand’s new premium label, otw by vans, which launched in february. while it’s just a fraction of vans’ total business, selling only at select retailers and through limited-edition drops online, it has become the most forward-facing expression of vans’ head-down focus on product innovation as the brand looks to recapture its cool with consumers and restart sales growth.
“we’re re-thinking what products from vans are,” said otw’s vice president and creative director ian ginoza. “things that are unexpected from vans, gives vans a new perspective, and consumers a new perspective.”
vans’ sales soared during the streetwear surge of the late 2010s as shoppers scooped up its heritage skateboarding styles. but in the 2020s, trends shifted, and vans found itself afflicted by the problem that often faces brands reliant on a handful of archival items. as consumers moved towards other silhouettes from brands like nike and rising upstarts such as on and hoka, vans had nothing new to offer, leading to two years of double-digit sales declines.
now the company is fighting hard to change that with an emphasis on remixing its signature models and introducing new styles. in a high-profile move earlier this year, vans hired sun choe, lululemon’s long-time chief product officer, to be its new global brand president.
“she’s a creative mind who had a lot of success at lululemon. she’s done things at scale and built franchises at scale,” said td cowen analyst john kernan. “i think that’s what vans has lacked: innovation at scale and relying far too much on legacy franchises.”
for parent company VF corp., those are issues vans urgently needs to fix. the conglomerate has been contending with a portfolio of struggling labels — a situation that its ill-fated purchase of supreme, which it offloaded this year, failed to change. until this year, vans was its largest cash cow, but its sales have kept sliding. when VF corp. hired bracken darrell as its chief executive back in july, he singled-out a vans turnaround as a top priority in a transformation program unveiled that october that also sought to improve the company’s results in north america, reduce costs and strengthen its balance sheet…” excerpts from BoF by lei takanashi
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