The headline act of Vans OTW’s reunion tour with Sterling Ruby’s S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA. imprint is the Vans FUTURE CLOG, a monolithic slip-on shoe that looks like a Dutch clog got beamed into 3025.

It’s all sharp planes and angles, basically a Tesla Cybertruck for your feet.

Sterling Ruby is a Los Angeles–based American artist known for cross-disciplinary work that ranges from paint-splattered canvas to rough-hewn sculptures. He also straddles fashion, collaborating with pal Raf Simons on menswear, custom fabrics, and even the Raf Simons Tokyo store that opened in 2008.

S.R. STUDIO. LA. CA is Ruby’s ready-to-wear offshoot, producing everything from deep-dyed garments to silver axes. 

The idea for Ruby’s wild new Vans shoe is very clever. The Vans FUTURE CLOG is a minimal mule nested inside a sculptural outer shell, fusing two shoes into one object.

That tension of soft materials vs. armored structures is very Ruby-coded, as reflected by the rubber of the clog and its angular design. Ruby also takes inspiration from his Dutch family heritage, reimagining the wooden work clogs his grandfather wore as a wearable modernist object. 

It’s Dutch craft encased in LA brutalism, so you get comfort and warmth armored by a stealthy, sculptural skin.

Folk tradition, Los Angeles sculpture, skate attitude, all folded into one angular slip-on. 

Alongside the clogs, the rest of the capsule encompasses Vans Old Skool and Authentic sneakers reworked with Ruby’s signature paint splatter plus apparel to match, clad in Ruby’s marbled yellow with a hockey jersey, travel bag, and socks. Retailing for $20 to $200, Ruby’s latest Vans OTW collection lands August 21 at Vans’ website, putting gallery-grade ideas within reach of everyday wardrobes.

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