Ahoy! Vans Finally Gave 'One Piece' Its Big Sneaker Collab
Highsnobiety aims to provide our readers with the latest updates in the sneaker world. However, we cannot verify the reliability of any unauthorized leaks or rumors unless this information is provided directly by the brands themselves.
It's crazy to think about the scale of certain media properties in contrast to their merchandizing efforts: One Piece, for instance, is objectively one of the world's most popular manga series, boasting ultra-popular anime, video games, toys, and tchotchkes aplenty. For some reason, though, One Piece has never enjoyed a proper team-up with a major footwear company.
This distinguishes One Piece from shonen manga peers like Dragon Ball and Naruto, which each partnered with adidas over the past few years.
Finally, a proper One Piece sneaker collab appears to be on the way and it comes courtesy of Vans, the same company that just gave us a massive Sailor Moon team-up earlier this summer.
According to leaks that've begun circulating on Instagram, a pair of One Piece Vans Authentics and Nico Robin-themed Old Skools are dropping on November 11, giving the long-running manga a worthy first-time heavyweight footwear team-up. It seems like some folks are being seeded pairs early but nothing set in stone yet.
Like the One Piece franchise itself, the rumored Vans Authentics lean a little juvenille, what with their all-over Straw Hat Pirate logos but the jute-style upper and rope laces are comparably clever nods to One Piece's pirate culture.
Reportedly, the insole also sports logo co-branding, so the collaboration seems to be legit, though neither party has confirmed any details yet (obviously).
Knowing Vans, if it is planning a One Piece drop, it's going to be massive, encompassing multiple sneaker silhouettes and graphic apparel — the skatewear brand is nothing if not thorough.
It's a good time to be a millennial Shonen Jump fan: Yu-Gi-Oh! just scored its own big footwear collaboration from adidas, marking the first time that these giant Japanese franchises nabbed their own footwear lines.
I should clarify, though, that One Piece has co-signed plenty of sneakers in the past, including Skechers and the in-house "byA" collection created by Japanese footwear retailer ABC Mart.
One Piece has also mostly linked with apparel giants like GCDS, Kappa, and UNIQLO, which is probably fine by fans: they aren't looking for anything terribly advanced, just new ways to rep their faves and these Vans will do just fine.
