Spring is the season of progress, a moment to embrace forward-thinking ideas and take note of improved practices. And nowhere is this more evident than in Milan. At the break of winter’s cold spell each year, the historic Italian city hosts the most prestigious global design exhibition, a weeklong demonstration featuring many premier names fueling the discipline’s development—a collective to which iconic skate shoe brand Vans now comfortably belongs.
For over half a century, the Los Angeles-based staple has remained at footwear’s cutting edge, pushing the boundaries of creation. Refusing to rest on its laurels, however, Vans continues to show up in unexpected ways, like choosing to debut its latest sneaker anomaly before the design world’s finest, for example. Partnering with the well-decorated design maven Willo Perron, OTW by Vans, the elevated sublabel dedicated to exploring and shaping imaginative possibilities, audaciously unveiled the bold new Old Skool 36 FM—and in impressive fashion, too.
Laying claim to some of the most universally recognizable shoe silhouettes, Vans uses its past as a muse to guide its captivating future. Filtering the classic Old Skool (neé Style 36) through OTW’s premium lens, the first entry into the “Future Make” series boasts componentized cupsole construction, a lofted engineered-knit upper, and a modernized waffle pattern that infinitely encompasses the shoe’s lower half—real heady stuff here, huh? Finished with a prominent 3D-injected TPU side stripe, the futuristic Old Skool arrives as an ode to its forebear and a projection of uninhibited ideation.
Channeling the 36 FM’s novel essence, Perron and OTW by Vans took over the Triennale Milano, a storied Italian institute of artistic wonder, to engineer the captivating Checkered Future: Frequency Manifest installation. The two powerhouses transport viewers into a physical exploration of Vans' unabated ethos, abstracting the motifs of sound frequencies and undulating waveforms that make up the shoe’s specialized visual language. With spectators leaning against a steel grated support structure, the immersive presentation creates magic using tilting glass panels, experimental lighting, and a foreboding soundtrack from acclaimed sound artist Tim Hecker, sharing a conceptual retelling of the renowned brand’s fearless evolution.
“Vans originates from a community that embraces disruptions and challenges the status quo,” notes Ian Ginoza, VP and Creative Director of OTW by Vans. “As someone who has defied convention his whole career, Willo was the first person that came to my mind to help actualize this kind of stylized visual storytelling.”
Running from April 8 to 13, Frequency Manifest was only a prelude to the rest of Vans’ anomalous Milanese rendezvous. Turning the Triennale’s rear garden into a full-on rave space, the famed footwear cornerstone pulled out all the stops to ensure its impression was made on the design week lineup. Adding to its recent extravagant activations, dating back to the summertime soiree at the Sacré Coeur de Montmartre for Paris Fashion Week, Vans somehow found a way to outdo itself.
Transforming the museum’s grand balcony into a towering checkboard-inspired stage, Björk (yes, you read that right) opened up the evening with a medley of progressive electronic tracks only Iceland’s greatest musical export could contrive. With succeeding sets from Vegyn and Evissimax that kept the design week faithful partying through the night, there’s really no term fit enough to describe the spectacle that transpired in celebration of the Old Skool 36 FM’s launch.
Perron, known for procuring significant cultural moments and constructing bespoke displays for industry heavyweights like Rihanna and Beyoncé, helped add a dynamic layer to the entire Vans experience with his distinct style. Following an exclusive viewing of the installation, we sat down with the visionary mind to chat about his connection to the brand and how Frequency Manifest came to be.
Read the full conversation below.
What's your connection to Vans and the brand?
I actually grew up skateboarding, so Vans was super important, especially in the era when I first started. It was part of the uniform. It was the idea that what you wore was who you hung out with.
Did that connection inform the Frequency Manifest installation at all?
In an indirect way. My idea of a successful design is something that's omnipresent, something that’s always around—Vans’ shoes have been that. So the challenge was to reinterpret that sentiment of “keep pushing forward” that the brand was built on. It’s important to remember that we must keep moving and reiterating.
How did the Old Skool 36 FM inspire the installation?
It started with the idea that the shoe’s design is based on frequency waves. So, I initially focused on that aspect. Then, as I got deeper into the process, I began exploring this explosion or morphing of the classic checkboard pattern into something more dimensional. Those two components served as the guides to the final exhibition.
In choosing to partner with someone like yourself on a project like Frequency Manifest, what does that say about the direction Vans is moving in?
When you stay in the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” stage, you remain stagnant. What Vans is doing with OTW is creating cultural touchpoints that avoid inactivity. It’s being invested in how you show up. What does it look like in real life? It’s the same thing they’ve always done, just in a reapproached fashion.
Did working on this project add any new insights or perspectives to how you approach design?
There's a real abstraction to this installation. We’ve stepped out of our comfort zone. It’s part experience, part patronage, and part culture. With this, it felt like we were adding something back to the conversation. This is Vans helping artists and designers create something great.
So what does the next chapter in your relationship with Vans look like?
I have no idea. You tell me. I'm just joking. Hopefully something just as exciting.
Shop the Old Skool 36 FM now at vans.com.
