Vans launches new collection with crayon brand Crayola

Skateboarding shoes and related apparel brand Vans has once again collaborated with Crayola to offer a colourful collection of footwear, apparel and accessories, combining the features of both brands to offer a playful touch. Vans said the new collection features designs influenced by the classic look of Crayola art tools across iconic Vans styles, celebrating people's creativity and the colourful ways that people express themselves.

The collection includes the "Authentic Van Doren Inspired" and "Authentic DIY/Sketch Your Way" styles, updated with playful colouring-book style repeat prints. The white upper of the ComfyCush SK8-Hi is a blank canvas ready to be personalised as well. The Vans Classic Slip-On and the SK8-Hi sport textured rubber soles for crayon rubbing, and the cotton canvas Vans x Crayola mini backpack has top handles, zip-front pockets and a novelty crayon pocket, allowing more space for creativity.

In addition to sneakers, the brands also offers apparel and accessories. For example, they offer cotton tees and hoodies adorned with hand-drawn illustrations and the Vans x Crayola Crayon tee with a scribbled Vans' Checkerboard motif down the sleeve. The collection also includes a brushed poly backpack with printed details, 5-panel Jockey hat, and Vans x Crayola crew socks.

“Crayola encourages everyone to 'step up' and colour outside the lines. We are excited to reunite with Vans to offer a collection with a fresh take on creativity," said Warren Schorr, vice president of business development and global licensing at Crayola. Both brands collaborated with each other for the first time in 2010, offerings sneakers with designs reminiscent of Crayola's iconic colour palette.

Vans has been collaborating with other brands to offer a more refreshed image. In 2020, it partnered up with television network National Geographic to launch the Vans x National Geographic collection, featuring footwear and apparel to “inspire creative expression and ignite the explorer in everyone”. This launch came in celebration of the 130 years of National Geographic’s never-ending quest to explore through “ground-breaking storytelling and scientific discovery”, as stated on the launch’s website.

Riding on the brand's appreciation for the environment, the materials utilised in this collection included organic cotton canvas uppers, recycled PET shoelaces and packaging. The collection included unique National Geographic photographs with its iconic yellow border, and logos featured on six of Vans’ classic silhouettes – the Sk8-Hi Reissue 138, Old Skool, Authentic, Era, Classic Slip-On, and UltraRange EXO.

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