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Vans' Most Classic Skate Sneaker Is Now Its Most Luxurious
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Vans and Ron Herman go way back, but their latest team-up is their most luxe offering yet. These suede all-black Vans are a lush take on the Vans Authentic skate sneaker.
This Ron Herman-exclusive elevates the classic low-top shoe with glossy sidewalls and a furry upper while maintaining the slim silhouette and waffle sole that make the Vans classic so, well, classic.
If all this talk about Vans and luxury sounds odd, fair enough. After all, Vans isn’t often synonymous with high-end footwear, as the skatewear brand is better known for pumping out thrash-ready stompers built to withstand skate-related wear and tear.
However, that’s begun to change. Vans OTW and Vans Premium, two collections of top-tier Vans shoes, upsets this existing status quo by upgrading familiar skate sneaker silhouettes with exquisite elements like shiny midsoles and textural uppers. 
Ron Herman, Press
When it comes to Vans, Ron Herman definitely has the hookup, as the Japanese-owned branch of the famed California retailer (founded 1976, BTW). But these exclusives are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the upper echelon of Vans.
In January, Vans dropped a Bottega Veneta-coded sk8-Hi, a chunky woven take on the luxury fashion house's signature Intrecciato leather pattern. The stylistic admiration between the brands is clearly mutual as Bottega Veneta dropped its own skate-ready sneaker that looks eerily similar to the Vans Authentic sneaker.
The luxury lore doesn't stop there. In celebration of the Lunar New Year, Vans gave three sneaker models the Chanel treatment: the Skate Rowley, Old Skool, and Knu Skool. We're talking full-on tweed uppers and pearl embellishments throughout — the whole shebang.
Conversely, the Ron Herman Vans, available online February 15 for ￥11,550 (about $75), doesn't pull any inspo from the established motifs of luxury fashion brands beyond being overtly opulent, which makes its splendor all the more special. It's all Vans, all day.
