Brand: USPS x Vans
Model: Sk8-Hi MTE-1, Sk8-Hi Reissue, Authentic, Old Skool
Season: Fall/Winter 2021
Release Date: November 29, January 29 for the Sk8-Hi Reissue
Price: $65 to $115 for shoes and $28 to $75 for apparel
Buy: Vans' website, Footlocker
Editor's Notes: There's a wrong way to do USPS collabs but Vans is opting for the proper route — or should I say paper route? Okay, doesn't really make sense, but still: Vans' USPS collaboration is as thoughtful as anything the sneaker giant has ever done and it's actually licensed by America's Postal Service.
In line with recent MOCA and Halloween collaborations, Vans' salute to the USPS is a seamless unification of thematic patterns and classic skate sneakers.
Vans' shoes really are the perfect canvas for collaborative partners; whether hosting simple patterns or taking on entire tonal shifts, you can say a lot with its simple sneakers.
Here, the silhouettes play host to a variety of thematic imagery that includes the USPS' eagle logo, Priority Mail verbiage, and old-school U.S. Mail branding. The shoeboxes are also, appropriately, rendered in packaging that recalls the Priority Mail package design.
Like Telfar's White Castle collaboration, Vans positions this collection as a tribute to the hard-working USPS staff who power through each chaotic holiday season, even citing the "Neither snow nor rain" motto as inspiration.
Now, this clearly ain't Vetements x DHL (nothing costs over $120) but it'd be nice to see Vans taking a more personal slant and humanizing the USPS' hard-pressed workforce, perhaps with a thematic campaign or charitable angle.
Still, at least it went to the trouble of actually licensing the USPS branding — take that, Nike.
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