As a symbol, Vans will forever be associated with living life in a half-pipe and skateboard culture. Naturally, this extends to the world of music too – specifically the glorious genres of punk rock, heavy metal, and good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll, baby. While most diehard fans are aware of the legacy and impact of the Vans Warped Tour, the off-the-wall brand also teamed up with some of the greatest bands ever to create exclusive Vans music collabs. In fact, it’s almost next to impossible to find a lot of these sneakers and shoes now, so let’s take a walk down memory lane to explore the hottest Vans music collabs.
1. Vans x Beatles collab
Without question, the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine remains one of the most psychedelic albums of all time, as every song paints a colourful picture in the mind of the listener (even without the consumption of hallucinogens). Inspired by the vibrant and kaleidoscopic colours of the artwork and accompanying animated movie, Vans released a range of must-have-themed sneakers – both lo-top and hi-top – for fans of the Fab Four.
2. Vans x Iron Maiden collab (The Number of the Beast)
Considering how every Iron Maiden album cover is an artwork in itself, it should be no surprise that Vans and the British metallers have collaborated on several occasions to put these images on sneakers. It’s really a toss-up to decide which Vans music collab is the best here, but we’re partial to The Number of the Beast line, which features the band’s mascot Eddie in all his menacing glory. It also happens to be one of the most iconic album artworks of all time that even non-fans will have seen once upon a time.
3. Vans x Motörhead Rowley collab
As a band, Motörhead was no-frills, all-fast punk rock, delivered in Lemmy Kilmister’s trademark bourbon-soaked raspy voice. Expectedly, their collaboration with Vans captures the spirit of the band too. It’s a riff on the Rowley shoe that revolutionized the industry years ago, but with a few tweaks and touches that represent Motörhead. It might not be as flashy as some of the other sneakers mentioned here, but it holds a classic appeal – much like the group does to this very day.
4. Vans x Bad Religion collab
No matter the fads or era, Bad Religion keeps it old school and sticks to the punk rock sound that brought them to prominence. Similarly, the band kept it Old Skool with a “Cross Buster” collab with Vans in 2005. Available in both lo- and hi-top, the punk rockers worked with Vans to release the sneaks in two colours: black/dark olive green and black/red. There’s something about the sneaks in the black/red that goes hard, though.
5. Vans x Kiss collab (Rock and Roll Over)
There’s a running joke in the music scene that Kiss never missed a branding opportunity in 50 years. The original glam rockers put their logo on absolutely everything and anything, including Vans on several occasions. However, one of our fav collabs is from 2009 when Vans and Kiss took inspiration from the album cover of 1976’s Rock and Roll Over. The retro look features the painted faces of the members from the classic lineup – Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss – in what’s become one of the most recognizable images from the band. It also looks really good on Vans Sk8-Hi and slip-on sneakers.
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Tell us, which are your favourite Vans music collabs? Let us know if we missed out on any seminal sneaks!
