Vans, the original action sports shoe and apparel brand, once again pays homage to its California roots and proudly presents its first collaboration with a Los Angeles cultural institution: Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Together, Vans and MOCA celebrate culture and creativity, as well as honoring Californian artists.
As the entity responsible for defining and directing contemporary art, MOCA champions creative expression, a fundamental principle of Vans, offering outstanding exhibitions and innovative programs for all fans.
The Vans x MOCA collection carries Vans’ most classic silhouettes, reimagined with the logo – created by graphic design icons Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar in the 1980s – and works by the museum’s resident artists: Judy Baca, Brenna Youngblood and Frances Stark.
The MOCA graphic is reinterpreted in the Slip-On, with a bold colorway that combines one of the geometric shapes from the museum’s official logo, the square, with Vans’ iconic Checkerboard print.
Born and based in Los Angeles, Judy Baca | (1946) is a muralist who, through her public works, illuminates life and raises awareness of the difficulties of the underprivileged population for over 40 years. Her best-known work, “The Great Wall of Los Angeles” (1974-1984), is a 800-meter mural in the San Fernando Valley, completed in collaboration with over 400 local youth and their families, exemplifying the power of community.
Baca reintroduces the Old Skool from a design inspired by her work “Hitting the Wall, Women in the Marathon” (1984), a mural commissioned for the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles that commemorates the first time women were admitted to compete in an Olympic marathon.
Riverside local Brenna Youngblood (1979) is a Californian artist who, through her work, reconsiders the art of montage, bringing together found and discarded materials to create a result that addresses issues within the culture around her and society at large. Youngblood personalizes the Authentic and Slip-On with his abstract, colorful style, giving his prints a 3D look that capitalizes on negative space.
Throughout her career, Frances Stark (1967) has explored a fascination with the subcultures of Southern California: skateboarding, punk, rap, and the city of Los Angeles itself. Stark’s love for Los Angeles is made tangible in her own version of the Old Skool, which features a hand-drawn map that illustrates the streets that have inspired her for decades.
The Vans x MOCA collection is available from today, February 22nd at authorized retailers, at Vans Stores and onsite.
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