Company Shoes Van

Vans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots, and other shoe types catering primarily to the skateboarder/surfer/snowboarder youth market. They also sell apparel and accessories catering to this same youth market.

History

On March 16th, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, Paul Van Doren and three partners opened up their first store. The Van Doren Rubber Company was unique in that it manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. On that first morning, 12 customers purchased Vans deck shoes, which are now known as Authentic. The shoes which were made that day were ready for pick-up in the afternoon.

The company continued to grow into the 1970’s. During this period they also produced wool lined canvas and rubber mukluks under contract to the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force.

Skateboarders who liked Vans rugged make-up and sticky sole were seen sporting Vans all over Southern California in the early 1970s. In 1975, the Vans #95, known today as the Era was designed by Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. With a padded collar and different color combinations the Era became the shoe of choice for a generation of skateboarders. In 1979, Vans introduced the #44 shoe, and with the help of skateboarders and BMX riders the Vans Slip-On became all the rage in Southern California. By the end of the 1970s, Vans had 70 stores in California and sold through dealers both nationally and internationally.

As the 1980s rolled around, Paul Van Doren began to take a lesser role in the companies’ activities. Over this period, Vans started to create shoes for a number of sports from baseball, basketball and wrestling to skydiving in an effort to compete with large athletic shoe companies. Vans Slip-Ons gained international attention and appeal when they were worn by Sean Penn in the 1982, iconic youth film “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Although Vans core shoes were selling well, the wide range of products that the company now offered had drained the companies’ resources, and with Vans not able to overcome its debt they were forced to file for bankruptcy in 1983.

After three years, Vans had paid back all creditors and emerged from bankruptcy. In 1988 Vans original owners sold out to an investment banking firm. The company has been sold several times since; most recently for $396 million in 2004 to Greensboro, N.C.-based VF Corp. Steve Van Doren, the son of co-founder Paul Van Doren, is still with the company, as is his sister Cheryl and his daughter Kristy. Vans began manufacturing footwear overseas in 1994, allowing for development of new shoe styles.

In 1994, Vans sponsored the Inaugural Triple Crown series which developed into the Vans Triple Crown series. In 1998, Vans opened a 46,000 square-foot, indoor-outdoor Vans Skate park at the Block in Orange County and in 2002 an enclosed skatepark was opened in the Festival Bay Mall on International Drive in Orlando, Florida. In 2000 and 2001, Forbes recognized Vans as one of “America’s Best Small Companies." In 2004, Vans launched the Vans Customs on their website. This allowed customers to log onto the Vans website and design their own pair of Vans Slip-ons, mid-cuts, or high-tops.

Vans has been the primary sponsor of the Warped Tour music festival since 1995.

Criticism

According to the Anti Defamation League (ADL): An e-mail rumor long circulated on the Internet suggests that the maker of Vans skateboarding shoes is anti-Semitic because some of their shoes come with a pattern resembling a Star of David on a portion of their outsole (bottom). However, the ADL has concluded that there is no truth to any of these allegations.

While the ADL understands that the use of the Star of David pattern in this context may be offensive to some, there is no factual basis to believe that the maker of Vans shoes incorporated the six-pointed star design in an attempt to insult Jewish people. Over the years the company has sought to reassure inquirers that the trademarked pattern is just that—a pattern—with no intended anti-Semitic message.

After contacting the company in the 1990s when the rumor began spreading, ADL was reassured by the chief executive office of Vans that the interlinking six-pointed star pattern on their shoes dated from the founding of the company and "was not done with even any awareness that it was the Star of David."

The League accepts the company's explanation that the design is in fact just a design.

International Stores

Vans currently operates retail stores in Carnaby Street and White City in London as well as Leeds in the UK, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and Tartu Estonia.

There are outlet stores in Cheshire Oaks, Bridgend, Portsmouth, Banbridge, La Vallée Village, La Roca Village, Las Rozas Village, Roermond, Parndorf and Gold Coast, Australia.

References

1. ^ http://www.adl.org/Internet_Rumors/Vans_Shoes.htm

Untitled Document [www.vans.com]

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