Skate sneakers are a lot different than they were say, 15, 20 years ago. It used to be that you’d have some country boy at school asking about your ‘Nike Airwalks’ and you’d roll your eyes like, “Dude, Nike doesn’t even make skateboarding shoes!” Back then, it was all about your Airwalks, Etnies, DCs or, of course, Vans.
Those brands had a free-for-all to see who could make it to the top, but it was clearly Vans’ Warped Tour that helped to keep it in the public eye, and the other companies simply couldn’t keep up. So Off The Wall owes a good deal of their success to bands like Chicago-based hardcore act Rise Against and vice-versa. The truest form of collaboration, here’s more from that symbiotic partnership: a fresh pair of Vans Slip-Ons for SS ’10. Take a look after the jump to choose if you want to go all hardcore and check your local Vans retailers starting next month. via FNG