Vans „Off the wall“ – Stories of Sole from Vans Originals
Harry N. Abrams/Abrams Books Usa
www.hnabooks.com/ www.vans.com
A book about a sneaker brand? Yes, find out why: In 1966 the first Vans building in Anaheim California came together and they started producing shoes and sell them directly – that was the idea. Since then a lot has happened and this books lets you know what. Find out about the origins of the company and their famous shoe, the development of the waffle sole and lots of other little detailed storys. Read introductions/forewords by the man behind the book-project Doug Palladini and the son of the founder – Steve van Doren. Start with Tony Alva in the mid 70ies when they bought Vans for a couple of bucks. Meet up with the artists who have designed special canvas for the shoe. Read storys from Joel Tudor, a longboarder.
Find out about the Vans Triple Crown Series. Skate with Geoff Rowley, until you hit the storys of the Warped Tour. Learn about another speciality of Vans, the “custom made”. Get close to the Combi Pool, then follow the company starting their snowboard acitivies. Read storys from Randy Rarick. Find out why the movie “Fast Times” helped Vans so much. Onto John Cardiel who got hit by a car and is now rolling in a wheelchair, but fighting his destiny hard. A few pages about Vans involvement in BMX. All the Band-Shoes get introduced, then the last big story, about family clans in action sports before you can take a look in a collectors closet of Vans shoes and other things. The book ends with more picutures of shoes.
No worries, there is not only shoes in this book, there is great pictures of board action (skate, surf, snow) as well as a couple of great live shots from bands and just cool people in general – lifestyle could be the word. (365 full-colour illustrations). It is a entertaining book to read, and look at – but it should not be forgotten, it is a book from Vans about Vans, so everything looks very bright. And it is for sure debatable if the involvement of industry-companys in the “Punk” scene (Vans Warped Tour) or any action sport was good or bad but not here, not now.
In the end, it is a shoe company that has been around for 43 years. But since this here is TRUST, I have to add this: I miss the historical point of when the production got switched from the Usa to Asia (no more “Made in Usa”) and why that had to happen. Also it needs to be mentioned that nowadays Vans is owned by the VF Corporation which is a “7 billion plus apparel powerhouse”. When and why did that happen? I guess one needs to read a business report to find these things out. Or that some of the skaters seem to have found “god” makes me pukeanyway. Meanwhile it is a nice hardcover book (24,9 x 23,1), with a piece of rubber on it. Not bad for a company book. 208 pages for 24, 95 US $ (dolf)
Isbn 9780810983755
[Trust # 140 Februar 2010]
