New York's Coolest Skaters Are The Stars Of Vans' Latest Campaign — EXCLUSIVE

Vans knows how to capitalize on a cultural moment. The legendary skateboarding brand has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years with re-releases of silhouettes like the slip-on checkerboard style, plus buzzy collaborations with brands like Collina Strada and Sandy Liang. Now, just in time for the Olympics, where skating will be an official sport for the second time, Vans is bringing back three silhouettes from the late ‘90s and celebrating with a global campaign titled “Always Out There” that features three legendary skate cities: New York, Tokyo, and London.

To capture the spontaneous, free-wheeling nature of New York City, the brand invited photographer Zora Sicher and stylist Thistle Brown to document the Big Apple’s crew of stylish skate kids, including Vans Skate Team rider Beatrice Domond, model Ama Elsesser, and singer Sabrina Fuentes. Spontaneity makes for the best skating opportunities, Domond says, and she loves “being outside and running into everyone I know or don’t know [and] seeing their outfits. When you live in New York all year round, the summer is such a blessing.”

The three new shoes reissued from the Vans archive are the Upland, Hylane, and Mixxa, all originally released in the late ‘90s or early ‘00s — and all puffer-fied this time around (the marshmallow shoe trend isn’t going anywhere). We’re partial to the Hylane with its exaggerated proportions and on-trend colors of baby blue and green, while Domond says her forever favorites are the Speed Vibram, along with classic Old Skools and Authentics. (Fun fact: Her first pair of Vans, hijacked from her sister, were the classic slip-on checkerboards.)

And while you might not be able to get in on Domond’s secret skate spots — “I’m gonna gatekeep that one. I need something for myself!” — you can still rock the same shoes. The Hylane and Upland styles are available for purchase now, and the Mixxa style hits Vans.com later in July.