So, my freshman year of high school I finally bought my first pair of Vans. Some real cute purple and grey Authentic Era Vans, then set off to find my first skateboard. I ended up with a Sector9 long board and my obsession grew from there.
Naturally, when I was that the Founder of Vans, Paul Van Doren, was writing a book, I knew I wanted to hear his story. Did I really care about shoe production? Not really. But I was intrigued by the history of how and why Vans was created. Skaters embraced the Vans brand and Vans was willing to listen to what they wanted. Tony Alva, one of the original Z-Boys came into a Vans storefront and begged to just buy one shoe. Other skaters came in asking for better ankle protection, thus the SK8-Hi and jazz stripe was born. Vans realized they were really the only shoe company tackling the needs of extreme sports.
But more than that, Vans was the biggest family company around. Paul Van Doren rounded up all his kids and siblings and in-laws and created a company that would not exist without the help of the entire family. Which is why Vans relies on families. They rely on their workers, the whole team has always felt like a family.
I'm honestly obsessed with this book.
I loved reading about the skater kids coming in.
I loved reading about Vans Warped Tour.
I love how Paul Van Doren dropped shoes to raise horses later in life.
Everything about this book felt.....Authentic.
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