The Original Vans Skate Shoe But Better
The Vans Skate Era Stub shoe is the latest evolution of a skateboarding heritage stretching back almost half a century. And Montreal skate label Dime is ringing in the new era.
When the Californian footwear brand launched Style 95 in 1976, it was the original skate shoe designed with skaters, by skaters. That eventually grew to become the quintessential sneaker Vans is known for today, the Era, distinguishable by its canvas deck shoe upper and thick rubber sole unit.
The Skate Era Stub doesn’t lose that look forged by its predecessors. However, it does tinker with what’s beneath the hood, infusing the shoe with Vans’ most advanced skateboarding performance technologies.
Underfoot, Vans’ stickiest rubber compound, named SickStick, provides grip and boardfeel while extra cushioned insoles ensure high impact protection and energy return. Finish it all off with Vans’ Duracap rubber underlays reinforcing high-wear areas, and you’ve got a ruggedly engineered new skate shoe.
For the first launch of Vans’ newly tinkered-with skate model, Dime helped with designing its look. And the streetwear label created two distinct colorways.
Pebbled wheat-colored leather covers the upper of one Skate Era Stub shoe, combined with hexagonal gold eyelets that hold two-tone brown and burgundy laces. There’s a workwear undercurrent to the whole design, its features reminiscent of a Timberland 6-Inch Boot.
But while the brown colorway has a workwear feel, its off-white counterpart is classic Vans. Textured suede overlays, a hardy canvas body, and its signature round eyelets all make this consistent with the Vans Era sneakers we’ve become familiar with.
While luxury brands from Dior to Prada were all riffing off Vans’ Era sneaker for their Spring/Summer 2026 collections, the famed maker of the flat-soled shoe has been busy upping its performance. The result of this technical upgrade, the Vans Skate Era Stub, releases August 30 via Dime’s website.
Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit the HS Style Guide for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.
