The Vans Asian Artist Collection, an initiative running since 2012, has announced its line-up for 2024, inviting three Asian artists to customize the brand’s footwear and apparel.
This year’s collaborators are Rarebirth, Bolin, and Mark SBTG, three individuals who, according to a statement from Vans, “have made a profound impact on their respective art scenes and highlight the skateboarding-inspired street culture in Asia.”
The resulting collections are all very different from one another, displaying each artist’s distinct design language.
Mark SBTG, owner of the brand SBTG, brought his passion for punk rock culture to his collection, creating a pair of Old Skool sneakers with a skeletal toe motif on the top along with matching bone-embellished apparel.
The toe bones added to the outside of the shoe are placed directly on top of the wearer's feet, resulting in something that looks like the lovechild of Vandy The Pink’s skeletal Clarks collab and the long-standing Blends x Vans collaboration.
On the other hand, Chinese artist Bolin, who skillfully uses ancient Chinese painting techniques, has created a series of illustrated skateboarders with heart-shaped heads.
The illustrations are featured on Vans’ Classic Authentic sneaker, printed across the off-white-colored shoe, as well as on a matching shirt and shorts set.
Graphic and visual artist Rarebirth was similarly inspired by skateboarding, honing in on the tough mentality of skaters. The Seoul-based creative has created a character called Deckman whose motto is: “I’m the only one who can break the wall inside me.”
The highlight of Rarebirth’s collection is a pair of Old Skool sneakers, decorated with Vans’ signature checkerboard print in green and white with some contrasting yellow detailing.
All three of Vans’ Asian Artist Collections will be available at select Vans stores from April 27, followed by another release in October with a different line-up of artists.
