Matt Varga With any rising or cresting trend in footwear or fashion, once things reach a certain level of notoriety, the think pieces and comments attempting to assign credit are only so far behind. Vans’ recent dominance is no exception; was it Satoshi Nakamoto and his original charmed colorways that brought the California company renewed hype? Or do inline designers deserve all of the flowers, their efforts helping turn those collaborations into a sustained wave within the catalog? Every principal character who could reasonably be brought up has been discussed a hundred times over, but the real ones know that this is a story that runs far beyond any “Pearlized” or “Charms.”
In the period before these personalized pairs and palette swaps, Imran Potato stands as a true trendsetter, helping Vans’ empire around the Knu Skool find its footing as it became a dominant retro. It’s only right, then, that Vans looks to the eccentric creative during this current boom. He’s been teasing more from his Vans relationship for months at this point, but Paris Fashion Week provided an opportunity for those pairs to again take center stage. Included below are some of our best looks at his next works yet, a moody duo of the Half Cab and the Old Skool.
Beginning with the former, co-branding on the heel stamps this as a Potato joint, but furry underlays with red and black animal prints should do the same at first glance. For the Old Skool, the color blocking is a bit more traditional, but the choice to pair a deep teal with a proud purple still communicates his personal brand of expressiveness.
As with most of the shoes we’ve been covering out of Paris in recent weeks, we’re not expecting the Imran Potato x Vans Half Cab or Old Skool until Q1/Q2 2027. In the meantime, whet your palate via the images below; note that the once-bootlegger is wearing the Lil Uzi Vert Vans link-up and not a third design.
