Vans Skate Shoes That Can Kick, Flip & Choke You Out
Sure, you’ve seen Vans Old Skool sneakers for skating. But how about for fighting and pinning people at the dojo?
Thanks to fellow Californian label Shoyoroll, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu-focused streetwear brand, Vans’ time-honored skate shoe is hitting the jiu-jitsu mat.
For its first OTW by Vans collab, Shoyoroll kept it simple. Two Old Skool 36 shoes, the low-slung silhouette that’s long defined California sidewalks, get wrapped in two distinct colorways.
One shoe is black suede and pearl-weave canvas, the same textured fabric used on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gis, while the other is dressed in navy with “Shoyoroll Brand Rebels Against the Mainstream” branding printed all over.
Shoyoroll started in early-2000s Southern California, when Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) was still underground. Founder Bear Quitugua built the brand out of garage gyms, turning limited-edition gis into design-led collectibles.
Southern California remains the BJJ Mecca, home to more than 90 academies in San Diego alone. It’s not unusual to start your day rolling on the mats and end it skating at the beach. For many locals, landing a triangle choke in a dojo and an ollie in a skatepark on the same day is just another Tuesday.
Available on Van’s website for $135, this collaboration taps into those overlapping communities.
While Shoyoroll has had its fair share of collabs — taking BJJ to the tailor at Drake’s and the workshop with Dickies — this one feels especially local, made for the people living that BJJ-and-boarding life.
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