Vans (originally called the Van Doren Rubber Company) is an American apparel, accessories, and
skateboarding shoes brand, established in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...
, and owned by
VF Corporation
VF Corporation (formerly Vanity Fair Mills until 1969) is an American global apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 by John Barbey and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's 11 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor ...
. The company also sponsors
surf,
snowboarding
Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralym ...
,
BMX
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
History
BMX began during the ea ...
, and
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
teams. From 1996 to 2019, and beginning again in 2025, the brand has been a primary sponsor of the annual
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
music festival.
History
Founding and early history
Paul Van Doren, his brother James, and Gordon C. Lee opened the first Vans store as "The Van Doren Rubber Company" on March 16, 1966, at 704 East Broadway in Anaheim, California. The business manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. Upon opening, twelve customers purchased Vans deck shoes (now called "Authentic"), similar to those manufactured by
Keds but with a thicker sole. The store had display models of three styles of shoes, priced between US$2.49 and $4.99, but did not have any inventory ready to sell and Paul Van Doren did not have change to give customers; customers took their shoes home and came back the next day to pay.
Middle history
The original Vans skateboard logo was designed in
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa (; Spanish language, Spanish for "coastal tableland") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including ...
, in the 1970s by Mark Van Doren, son of then-President and co-owner James Van Doren, at age 13; Mark's design was a stencil, allowing the logo to be spray-painted onto his skateboards. The design was incorporated into the heel tab on Style 95, an early Vans skateboard shoe. Mark's interest in skateboarding is what led Vans to manufacture skateboarding shoes.
In 1976, Vans began using its "Off The Wall" motto, a slang phrase used by skateboarders while doing tricks in empty pools. Around this time, Vans released its Vans Side-stripe and Vans #36, also known as the "Old Skool" design.
In 1984, facing heavy competition and a market flooded with Vans counterfeits, Vans lowered its prices and eventually filed for bankruptcy protection.
In 1988, Van Doren and Lee sold the company to banking firm McCown De Leeuw & Co. for US$74.4 million. In 1989, many Vans counterfeiters were apprehended by the U.S. and Mexican governments and ordered to cease production.
By 1991, the company's shoes were highly desired due to high demand and low supply. The company expanded internationally; released new models, including snowboard shoes; and was renamed Vans, Inc. to reflect its customers calling the shoes "Vans" for short. The same year, Vans went public at US$14 per share on
NASDAQ
The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...
.
Recent history
In 2004, Vans merged with North Carolina–based
VF Corporation
VF Corporation (formerly Vanity Fair Mills until 1969) is an American global apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 by John Barbey and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's 11 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor ...
. In 2016, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, Vans released a new logo and launched a campaign to target a wider audience.
In 2022, Vans launched the new VR3 product line where 30% of the product is renewable, recycled or regenerative. VF Corporation will expand the VR3 product collection to more footwear and apparel categories.
Partnerships
Since 1999, Vans has sponsored and supported
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...
, the longest-running touring music festival to date in North America. In 2001, Warped Tour was rebranded as Vans Warped Tour.
Vans became the title sponsor of the
US Open of Surfing in
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...
, in 2014, and in 2010, the company sponsored the Duct Tape Invitational.
In 2022, to commence the US Open of Surfing period, Vans hosted the BMX Waffle Cup, a
freestyle BMX
Freestyle BMX is bicycle motocross stunt riding on BMX bikes. It is an extreme sport descended from BMX racing that consists of four disciplines: street, park, trails, and flatland. The sport made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
E ...
invitational tournament. Their Huntington Beach skate park's course was modified by BMX riders for the tournament, and was themed after the US Open.
Public skate parks

Vans opened its first
skate park in 1998 at
The Outlets at Orange, in
Orange, California
Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District ...
. It features a indoor street course, deep combo pool, area for amateurs,
mini ramps, outdoor street course, and arcade. The park was updated in 2009. It has remained closed since March 2020, when BMX rider Tyler Kanarr died after sustaining major injuries in the park.
The company built its second skate park in Huntington Beach, California, which opened to the public in 2010. It includes a skate bowl and a skate plaza. The park is , and Vans pays the city US$1 per year for its 20-year lease.
There is a skate park in London, in
The Old Vic Tunnels, called House of Vans.
In pop culture
Vans' shoes have often been customized cosmetically by wearers, with many of their painting and drawing patterns being adopted by the company for their official models. Most notably, the checkerboard pattern, popular in
ska and
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
culture, was adopted after the company noticed skateboarders drawing it on their shoes.
Vans reached nationwide popularity when, in 1982,
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...
wore a pair of Vans checkerboard slip-ons as character Jeff Spicoli in ''
Fast Times at Ridgemont High''.
In 2016, the internet meme "
Damn Daniel", featuring California teen Daniel Lara wearing Vans, went viral. In appreciation, the company gave Lara a lifetime supply of Vans shoes.
The
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher
Michael Lorenzen grew up skateboarding with Vans. , he plays baseball wearing customized Vans UltraRange Exos with
cleats
Cleat may refer to:
* Cleat (nautical), a fitting on ships, balls, and balls to which ropes are tied
* Cleat hitch, a knot
* Cleat, Orkney, a List of places in Orkney#C, place in Scotland
* Cleat (shoe), a type or part of a shoe
* Cleats (comic st ...
, rather than traditional baseball shoes.
On August 9, 2023, Lorenzen became the first pitcher to throw a
no-hitter
In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...
in Vans; the Vans will be displayed in the
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a history museum and hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York, operated by a private foundation. It serves as the central collection and gathering space for the history of baseball in the United St ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Portal bar, Companies, Greater Los Angeles, Fashion
1966 establishments in California
1980s fashion
1990s fashion
2000s fashion
2004 mergers and acquisitions
2010s fashion
2020s fashion
Athletic shoe brands
Clothing companies established in 1966
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1984
Companies based in Santa Ana, California
Shoe brands
Shoe companies of the United States
Skateboard shoe companies
Skateboarding companies
Snowboarding companies
Sportswear brands
Surfwear brands
VF Corporation