Satoshi Nakamoto Made a Classic Vans Skate Shoe Punk AF
Vans OTW and Satoshi Nakamoto are taking a pair of Vans Old Skool sneakers back to "Rock 'n' Roll High School."
Pause, isn't Satoshi Nakamoto the father of Bitcoin? Yes, and cryptocurrency doesn't necessarily scream punk but lets ignore the name of Vans OTW's latest shoe collaborator for now. Instead, I'm just rocking with how the Vans OTW team took the Style 36, its most classic skate shoe, and studded it out like a good leather jacket worn by he Ramones.
Whether it's PDF's Milan Fashion Week runway collaboration with Pelle Pelle or Mannahatta NYC's in-house belts, studded streetwear is taking over the timeline this year. And Satoshi Nakamoto's Old Skool Vans sneakers boast studs that look especially stunning. Yes, it's a "stud-ding" shoe, if you will.
Satoshi Nakamoto's collaborative Vans Old Skool were unveiled inside a showroom during the recent Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025 menswear shows, which further proves that sneaker collaborations this season were so good they even skated off the runway. Those pearl and silver studs are tictactoe-ing across these Old Skool Vans aren't playing any games.
That's because they sit on this tasteful mix of canvas and leather materials. Since the luxury-leaning Vans OTW team formed, it's been stepping away from mall-tier Vans shoes and designing sneakers more geared towards the skaters kick-flipping in front of Jack's Wife Freda rather than the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Satoshi Nakamoto confirmed the olive green and black Old Skool Vans OTW will release on August 8. However, a Vans OTW designer also teased an all-black and a black/white colorway that's presumed to arrive closer to the Fall 2024 season.
Personally, I feel like these alternative colorways are more primed for hardcore mosh pits and will only look better once they get stomped on a couple times.
Taking something to do it on your own terms, ignoring any potential legal consequences, is at the very root of punk fashion. Just look at what Vivienne Westwood did to Disney's beloved Mickey and Minnie mouse characters.
It's worth noting that Satoshi Nakamoto independently released its own pair of studded Old Skool sneakers in 2023 before collaborating with Vans OTW, one of the young label's many collaborations.
A dive into California's business records reveals that George Robertson is the manager of the Satoshi Nakamoto LLC. Yes, that's likely the same Robertson who was Rhuigi Villaseñor's disgruntled business partner at Rhude.
I guess after "The Clash" with Rhuigi, Robertson went solo like Joe Strummer. And this Vans OTW x Satoshi Nakamoto collaboration might become his first chart-topping single.
