Source: Ave Pro
In honor of longtime Vans global team rider Anthony Van Engelen’s storied career and enduring impact on skateboarding culture, Vans presents a brand-new footwear and apparel collection designed and inspired by the skate icon himself. Available on August 22, Vans unveils the AVE Pro featuring Vans’ UltimateWaffle, Van Engelen’s first signature cupsole silhouette in over a decade.
At the beginning of this year I wrote a post that was long overdue. I will take the time to pull my numbers on Vans, but for the first time in my years of sneaker sales I sold Vans in resale on general release shoes during 2018. This was prior to the reports from the industry that Vans was gaining ground and tapping into a larger market. In this post:
Black Kids Wear Vans® & Vans Didn’t Have to Pander For It To Happen
I discussed that Vans was able to crossover to a Black audience without pandering. The most important aspect of the post was that I said Vans had failed to meet one of my first requirements for growth:
One of my biggest arguments in favor of growth is that brands have to innovate. Innovation happens within the technical side of footwear which is performance based. It is a known fact that performance is down and retro is hot, but I’ve made the claim that a brand has to innovate to continue attracting consumers.
Vans had introduced ComfyCush, but that wasn’t an obvious technical update. I didn’t really count that towards where the brand has to go to continue their growth. I wanted to see a tech innovation because in 2019 I haven’t sold any general release Vans in resale. As a matter of fact the shoes are no longer performing as well as they did last year. Vans had to produce more footwear to keep up with the demand from their new segment, which led to more selection on the wall and more radical styles. I stated in the post above that their new segment wanted simplicity. By introducing more colorful and exaggerated styles, the brand was staying true to their heritage of checkerboard patterns and tie-dye prints, but in this new segment this tactic was not going to work. The evidence is in any retail dive where you can see a wall that is bigger than the adidas wall now. Before Vans only occupied two shelving spaces in comparison to adidas’ six vertical shelves. Vans’ sales have leveled off in their new segment.
This doesn’t mean that the brand should begin to pander. It means that my thoughts on growth were proven correct.
In response, Vans has modernized their skate shoe and it’s incredible.
Featured in premium suede with mesh paneling, the all-new AVE Pro is enhanced with Duracap™ reinforced underlays in high abrasion areas and RapidWeld™ no-sew technology that utilizes heat-fused upper panels for an extremely strong bond that’s more durable, flexible, and lighter than conventional stitching.
The pro model also features LuxLiner™ technology, integrating the tongue and internal lining for a more snug and consistent fit, along with a molded heel counter for additional structure and heel lock. The best feature lies in Vans’ all-new UltimateWaffle outsole featuring an internal shank to keep flex in the forefoot, built-in impact cushioning with a full length Ultracush midsole, and unrivaled grip to present a shoe that has a familiar Vans feel and flexibility with the comfort and protection of a modern construction.
The appropriately named AVE (Anthony Van Engelen’s longtime series) captures every element of E.N.D.E.A.R.S. and the brand has executed their rollout via their site with information about the shoe in an exploded view and they delivered three simple colorways. They told the story of the creation and explained every aspect of why this is the future of footwear. What they didn’t do was continue to build a lot of colors and wild styles, they went back to their roots of performance to give their core customer a product that is innovative, but familiar. It’s a blend of retro and a touch of modern in design, but is a more comfortable model than they have delivered in years. The company also launched a YT video to expand on the discussion.
It’s a beautifully executed launch and shows that the brand is paying attention to every aspect of their business. While other analysts tout casual athletic as the path, fashion is finicky and not consistent and the new segment is really big on waves. Waves are hard to ride and can end abruptly. Companies have to always paddle out and survey before the waves arrive. Vans killed this.
