These Beautiful Hand-Stitched "Denim" Vans Hide a Stylish Secret
FDMTL, cult Japanese denim label, is dropping a sneaker collaboration with Vans' premium OTW sub-label. But don’t let the indigo-colored fabric fool you. There’s no denim involved here.
FDMTL, short for Fundamental Agreement Luxury, built its reputation on indigo-dyed Japanese denim, boro patchwork, and sashiko stitchwork that fades like a dream. But for this Vans OTW shoe collaboration, there are no cut-up jeans or hand-embroidered uppers. They faked it, and that’s the point.
For the uninitiated, sashiko is a traditional Japanese embroidery technique once used to reinforce worn garments and now celebrated for its decorative stitching and utilitarian elegance.
It’s the visual language FDMTL speaks fluently, even when it's just for show.
The Vans x FDMTL Old Skool Cab 33 and Old Skool 36 EK models channel full indigo energy with knit uppers engineered to mimic the soul and texture of well-worn Japanese workwear, sashiko-style stitching included.
Vans OTW pulled a similar trick with its Vibram-soled Half Cab, but this time, the illusion hits harder. It’s sharper, more FDMTL, and somehow more believable, no artisan-made jeans required.
The whole collection, available now at retailers like Footdistrict, is a love letter to indigo denim that doesn’t take itself too seriously. A denim flex, without the denim.
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