In the world of luxury fashion, some collaborations are predictable, while others seemingly come out of nowhere to take the industry by storm. Valentino x Vans might seem like chalk and cheese to some, but this partnership falls straight into the latter category. On one side: an Italian couture house with decades of romance, drama, and perfectly stitched gowns. On the other: a beloved Californian brand whose waffle soles have been scraping up skate parks since 1966. The two are worlds apart, but a perfect collision of opposites.
The first glimpse of this unlikely romance wasn’t in a lookbook or a campaign but right on the runway in Paris last March. The sneakers first popped up during the FW2025-26 show, when Alessandro Michele staged his big Valentino debut with Le Méta-Théâtre Des Intimités. Amid the draped silks and dramatic layering, the Vans Authentic swooped onto the runway like it had always belonged there. Re-imagined with Valentino’s impeccable Italian craftsmanship, the sneakers looked undoubtedly at home under couture gowns.
The blueprint is simple: Vans’ OG low-top, rubber waffle sole intact, rebuilt with Valentino’s artistry. This couture spin on a historic sneaker silhouette comes in six new variations, for men and women, sliding across multiple patterns and colorways, co-branded insoles, and packaging that riffs on Vans’ trademark checkerboard with Valentino’s VLogo. In short, you get both Vans’ grit and Valentino’s luxury.
And that’s the trick: it didn’t feel forced. Michele didn’t try to turn Vans into something unrecognizable. He just let its simplicity shine within Valentino’s sumptuous world. The result is cheeky and refreshing, a nod to Michele’s talent for twisting tradition.
And of course, Michele had to slip in a bit of playful chaos. The Le Chat de la Maison pair is the one to watch—covered in a playful cat motif and only available through Valentino boutiques and online.
For those eager to get their hands on a pair (and trust us, you will be), you won’t have to wait long. The collection drops mid-September, both on Valentino’s official website and in boutiques around the world.
