Written By: Gemma White
Skate ‘n surf Cali culture gets the Alessandro Michele treatment, embodying a timeless attitude in which pulling on a pair of #ValentinoGaravaniAndVans means having worlds (plural) at your feet
Something good always comes out of a cultural collision. Case in point: Valentino Garavani and Vans – which we’re calling Val x Vans – where the street meets the haute resulting in reinterpretation that’s functional, wearable, and covetable without creating an unnecessary schism between the fashion haves and have-nots. The collab was only a matter of time. Spotted on the feet of Creative Director Alessandro Michele himself at Vogue Italia’s most recent Forces of Fashion event in Rome, the drop, when it came, was anticipated, but not out of the blue.
Courtesy of Valentino
Courtesy of Valentino
Courtesy of Valentino
Courtesy of Valentino
The brands are peers, growing up and coming of age in the same era, although with different upbringings and parentage. Maison Valentino was founded in 1960 in Rome by Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti, while Vans were born in 1966, the brainchild of Paul Van Doren, his brother James, and Gordon C. Lee in the heart of skate and surf country, Anaheim, California. Both would grow to not only lead and influence the culture but entrench themselves so deeply in the worlds they knew so well, they reached the level of global name recognition.
Valentino has not messed with a classic. Why would you? When a brand is this beloved, this synonymous with youthful spirit and counterculture you can only add to it. And Valentino Garavani and Vans have sought to reinterpret this classic through Alessandro Michele’s vision on the Vans Authentic, remaining faithful to the original silhouette. And there’s precedent. During his tenure at Gucci, Michele collaborated with the California brand on Vans classics including the Slip-On, the Old Skool, and the OG Mule. Aficionados rejoice, your ’66 baby is in safe hands with a creative whose deep appreciation for the then never fails to complement and assimilate into his vision for the now.
First unveiled on the runway of Valentino Le Méta Théâtre Des Intimités, the Fall/Winter 2025-26 collection by Alessandro Michele presented in Paris last March, the sneakers appeared as a defining element of selected looks. Toes peered out from beneath floor-skimming pants, gowns, and denim selvage, making the Internet’s favorite game of racing to ID certain looks and pieces a little tricky. Call it fashion peekaboo.
Courtesy of Valentino
Courtesy of Valentino
Courtesy of Valentino
Courtesy of Valentino
The drop features six variations for both women and men, proposed in multiple patterns and finished with co-branded insoles. Van’s classic checkerboard style is in full flow, offering cream and black dotted with circles in Valentino Red; yellow and black, featuring the playful Valentino Le Chat de la Maison motif (available exclusively through Valentino boutiques and Valentino.com); red and black; green and black with vibrant orange palm tree silhouettes; and pink and black, each scattered with the V Logo Signature. A standout pair eschews the checks to declare in Valentino House red and baby blue ‘I heart my Vans’, leaving you with the sense that yes, Michele truly does.
Rihanna, the Hadids, Jaden Smith, Kristen Stewart, Dr Dre, the Kar-Jenners… the list of trend-setting celebrities spotted wearing Vans is endless, crossing cultures, genres and generations. And although it’s easy to get bogged down in A-list names/feet, at its core Vans has always been less about the jeunesse dorée and more about the demi-monde, looking beyond household names and past the trend for hype-driven sneakers to the streets and the names, places, and movements that are only famous (small f) within certain circles. To wit, the kid at your local skatepark pulling ollies and grinds in their Vans kicks are just as noteworthy in this stylistic level playing field as, say, N.W.A’s Eazy-E: ‘Godfather of Gangsta Rap’ and member of the Venice Skate Posse.
Vans were always the affordable option. The anti-Nike, the easy pull-on-and-leave-the-house. Eternally customizable, the checkerboard style was inspired by punk and ska culture whose adherents would Sharpie their sneaks with black and white checks. Which brings us back to Michele’s six-pack, the latest in a long tradition of personalized options that do both brands justice, bringing together Vans’ authentic spirit with the Maison’s unmistakable identity.
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