Where Are Vans Shoes Made?

by Max Gerstenmeyer

Vans shoes are a staple among the skateboarding and surfing communities, and have been for decades. They have that classic style that has been seen on the feet of skating legends like Tony Hawk, Tony Alva, and many more. While many people might be familiar with Vans shoes as a brand for skating, they might not know where Vans are from and how they are made. Let’s talk about that a bit.

- Where Are Vans Shoes Made?

Vans shoes got their start in the late 1960’s in the sunny Anaheim, California. They began as the dream of founders Paul and Jim Van Doren, who initially crafted them under the name of Van Doren Rubber Company. They were hand made, and assembled in their own facility in Anaheim and sold for as little as $3 back then. Over the course of the next several decades, Vans shoes continued to be made out of several factories in Anaheim.

Originally, Vans shoes were simply designed to be a tough and durable shoe that anyone could wear. However, the question of ‘were vans made for skateboarding?’ often floats around as they are predominantly used as skateboarding shoes and in skate media. The shoes are in fact marketed towards skaters, but it wasn’t until a few years into making them that owners Paul and Jim Van Doren began to target them towards skaters in general. Skating is, afterall, how vans became popular; as well as why Vans are better than Converse in this area.

The question of where Vans are made now stems from the question of ‘were Vans shoes popular in the 90’s?’ This question begins to unravel how Vans took on the promotion of the wildly popular​Warped Tour​, and began to explode rapidly in the late 1990 ’- early 2000’s. With over 30 years of manufacturing in Anaheim, California; Vans were now forced to shift manufacturing to China and Vietnam to meet demand.

So, if Vans are made overseas, people often ask themselves why Vans shoes are so expensive? Well, despite being made overseas, Vans still maintains a rigorous 450 point inspection method for ensuring a high quality shoe is always made. This ensures that only the top of the line materials, and styles are making it to the general public. That is why Vans are a bit on the pricier side--but the value is in how long they last.

- Vans Shoes In Fashion Today.

These days, Vans have become an iconic staple in fashion beyond the skate community. That ‘California cool’ style has begun to spread across N. America and Europe, with more and more people each year recognizing the relaxed and classic stylings of Vans Shoes. The style itself evokes a certain aesthetic that showcases a cool, relaxed, and sunny vibe.

This feeling has even carried over into other fashion trends which can be seen in local European design labels like ​Maxmellow Apparel.​ The style of these clothing labels has been bred to perfectly encapsulate this vibe, and classic artistic look that Vans first drew attention to. It’s impossible to understate how influential Vans has been in the fashion of the skate community, and beyond.