starting from humble beginnings as the Van Doren Rubber Company, one man's dream came to fruition on march 16th 1966 which then crystallised to become the global phenomenon that the Vans brand is today. 45 years ago to the day, Paul Van Doren et al opened the 1st factory-to-you retail outlet manufacturing made-to-order in-house produced canvas casuals. with a now rich history spanning 6 decades; Vans joined the select few companies since 1900 producing vulcanised deck shoes for boating, was then infamously adopted by the dogtown crew who henceforth revolutionised skateboarding forever, entered the 80s 'checkerboard era' shortly followed by a checkered history after filing chapter 11, an ownership change, moving production to the east... before shifting seamlessly into the marketing giant they exist as as of march 16 2011. although in my heart of hearts i know sacrifices were made to the end product in moving production offshore in 1994, the brand is much bigger than that & it is this legacy & the narrative that vans shoes embody that has changed the face of youth subculture to remain timeless.
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