The latest Vans collection infuses its iconic skater shoes with a 1980s punk aesthetic. The Vans x Ashley Williams collection features pink tiger prints, septum rings, and clashing patterns to give your spring wardrobe an "off the wall" upgrade. Williams is an acclaimed London fashion designer who first exploded onto the scene in 2013. Fast-forward a couple of years, and now the 30-year-old designer's collections are found on the most stylish of A-listers. From Kim Kardashian wearing Williams' pink sweatpants to Selena Gomez donning the "UGLY" rhinestone hair clip to snub Stefano Gabbana, Williams is everywhere.
Williams' collections have an irreverent sense of humor and raw energy, and now she's bringing her aesthetic to Vans. Williams' shoe collection is inspired by the skate culture in her youth, and she reimagines four of Vans' classic footwear styles: the Era, the Authentic, the Style 93, and the Classic Slip-On.
Known for her signature graphic prints and unapologetic designs, Williams transformed Vans’ first skate model, the Era, to meet her vision. The sneaker has a custom black and white jug print across the upper and heel. The pattern is contrasted by a pink and black zebra print and red shoe laces. The gummy sidewalls of the shoes are stamped with custom Vans x Williams checkerboard labels.
The Authentic got a subtler makeover. Known as Vans' original deck shoe, it has been pierced with septum rings both at the toe and the heel. The laces feature the words "happy Ashley" stamped in black across their length.
Vans Style 93 looks ready to be paired with black and white checkered pants. Featuring a bright orange tiger print canvas, the Mary Jane silhouette gets a punk makeover. Black outsoles help tone down the in-your-face print.
Rounding out the collection is the Classic Slip-On which got wrapped in a tongue-in-cheek newspaper print. Graphics include bats, '80s figures with blunt bobs, and phrases like "buy or die."
Williams made waves this year during London Fashion Week, when she sent a collection filled with sperm prints down the runway. “The power of the penis is a magical thing,” read the show notes. “It’s kind of young-granny,” Williams told Vogue. The show had punk trousers and kilts that brought back the '80s, as well as sperm print baggy fleeces, leopard print tanks paired with pink satin midis, and cat print knit sweater sets.
The Fall 2019 ready-to-wear-collection mimics Williams' Vans collection, lending inspiration to her shoes. So if you can't afford the grunge-era clashing that Williams achieves on the runway, you can dabble with it on your sneakers.
In fact, Williams took to her Instagram to announce the collaboration and offered ways to style it. Taking pieces from her most recent fashion collection, Williams showed how seamlessly the busy shoes went with tie-dye shirts and baggy sweats.
You can wear the Era shoes by clashing it with black and white striped socks. Then to take it even further, you can try matching the sneakers with leopard print patchwork jeans and a multi-paneled t-shirt.
If dresses are more your thing, take one of Williams' '80s-inspired prom dresses. Match them with the Vans Slip-Ons.
The more expressive and outlandish you dress, the better.
If you want to live your punk life to the fullest, then this collaboration is the line for you.
