Martinis, Mirage & the Curren: Inside Vans and Curren Caples’ Wild Desert Launch
Let’s begin with a few (slightly sunburned) words from the gospel according to Palm Springs: SPF is religion, the pool is your pulpit, and if it doesn’t come with a frozen cocktail, it’s probably not worth the sweat. But for two days in May, the desert destination, perhaps best known for retro resorts, party-packed weekends, and that one Ferris wheel-fronted music festival, traded its kaftans for kickflips. This past week, with boards in tow and the desert sun blazing, Vans rolled through to add a little more grip tape and a lot more grit. To usher in the launch of a brand new silhouette designed by skateboarding savant and longtime Vans team rider, Curren Caples, the SoCal-native shoe label took over the sleepy desert town with a two-day celebration to break it in.
Since 1966, Vans has been lacing up legends and redefining the skate shoe from every curb, bowl and backyard ramp. Curren Caples joined that legacy at just 12, bringing with him a style that’s always blurred the lines between surf, skate, and street. Now he’s stepping into a new chapter—literally—with a silhouette he helped shape from sole to stitch. Enter the Curren: a Vulcanized vision of function-meets-flow, born from Caples’ years on the board. Built with a custom outsole pattern and Vans' SICKSTICK™ rubber for board grip that clings like a second skin, Caples was mindful to include the renowned POPCUSH™ footbeds to soften those landings because gravity doesn’t care how good your style is.
“Honestly, it’s wild,” said Caples, lounging in the shade of a pop-up tent at the colorful Saguaro Hotel as friends lobbed volleyballs across the pool nearby. “I’ve been skating since I was four and I can feel it in my hips, my knees, my feet—parts of my body I didn’t even think about when I was younger. I used to just pencil out and land straight-legged, take everything to the knees. I’ve had to learn how to actually use my body right… or at least try to.” He laughed, exhaling with the relief of someone finally stepping back after two years of sketches, samples and sole tweaks. “I never thought I’d have my name on a shoe. I wear Vans every day, so when we started, I was like, ‘what do I even change?’”
But two years later, with hotly debated inverse waffle soles at the helm, here he stood—err, lounged. After months of moodboarding low-profile high-fashion sneakers and vintage bowling shoes coupled with countless trials of not-padded-enough prototypes, Caples unveiled his namesake design to the public. And because a shoe this good deserves more than a shelf, Vans did what Vans does best: threw a two-day desert rager in its honor.
If you thought surfing was strictly shoreline activity, you haven’t seen what happens when Vans gets hold of a wave pool. Day one kicked off at Palm Springs Surf Club—a former water park turned artificial surf haven that felt like an oasis-like fever dream (read: 91° heat). Fans cheered from the sidelines as they spectated their contemporaries’ surfing skills. A posse of sunburnt skaters-turned-surfers clutched surfboards like trophies as they bounded into incoming whitewater. Curren Caples and his father, Evan, led the charge in the evening’s feature attraction aptly dubbed the “Martini Masters”—a wetsuit-optional surf showdown fueled by meticulously salted bloody marys, frosty espresso martinis, and sonorous applause. Somewhere in the middle of the splash zone floated a giant inflatable replica of the new sneaker, bobbing between the troughs as cheers and laughter ricocheted off the concrete.
Between belly flops and barrel rolls, spectators clinked wine glasses, scooped up heaping salads from the buffet, and ducked under the cabanas for shade, watching Caples and friends carve across chlorinated crests with the kind of casual mastery you could only expect from those born on a board.
On Thursday, guests were whisked away on a secret caravan, venturing beyond the edges of Palm Springs proper—past the last palm tree, past the last fading road sign, and into a surreal desert scene that felt like a mirage come to life.
Flanked by two massive blow-up sneakers, guests entered what we could only coin as “Camp Curren”: a sprawling open-air skate utopia in the middle of…well, literally nothing. A mirage of sorts for the desert-drifting skaterboy, all unfolding to the unsuspected soundtrack of a black-tie string band. A tuxedoed waiter stood ready at the gate, offering each arrival a caviar bump—a snack that the skaters gleefully pretended was something a little more illicit.
Two halfpipes stood at the center of it all like dueling arenas. Curren himself caught air from one to the other as fellow Vans teammates, Lizzie Armanto and Zion Wright watched from the sidelines before taking their hand at defying gravity. Vans surfers, Holly Wawn and Karina Rozunko posted up on crimson velvet couches, sipping cocktails and swapping stories with storied campaign photographer, Gray Sorrenti. Beyond the ollieing skaters, a mirrored altar showcased “La Chaussure”—the new eau de parfum from Kismet Olfactive and Caples formulated to capture the raw, effortless spirit of skateboarding: crisp bergamot, salty coastal cypress, warm sandalwood, and rugged leather. You know, just the usual suspects.
Waiters floated through the crowd with trays of fried chicken sliders, prosecco, and more caviar-ornamented hors d'oeuvres. As golden hour spilled across the desert, Curren premiered his new skate film, directed by Ryan Lee and Johnthan Flechas, and choked back tears as he thanked the crowd for being part of the journey. After a standing ovation (and a few dusty hugs), the assembled partygoers were herded back to town’s legendary Saguaro Hotel for the final act: a karaoke after party at El Jefe Cantina.
Somewhere between the Destiny’s Child deep cuts and a group rendition of Blink-182, it hit us: this wasn’t just a shoe launch. This was a love letter—to skating, to community, to a kid raised on Vans and to the desert mirage where it all came together.
Palm Springs might be famous for its vintage glam and retro flair, but for two days in May, it flipped the script to the future: of skateboarding, sneaker design and how to throw a launch party that makes waves—yes, pun intended.
Curren, consider it officially dropped. Click here to discover the latest shoewear add to a storied skateshoe lineup.
