Just like with virtually any other sneaker company, Vans plants greener grass in Japan. While there are plenty of great Half-Cabs released in the US in the Vans Vault collection, these Japanese exclusives are something that we wish made it here. This isn’t the first time we have found some gems made by Vans Japan, but hopefully something similar to these will make it to the US in the future. Pics thanks to High Snobiety.

Last fall a few sites posted shots of the Vans Mountain Edition but they will be appearing at Vans Vault doors shortly. This silhouette is unique to the Vans lineup with a higher top, wide strap near the toe, but of course a vulcanized sole. Tying back to the brand’s roots, each pair features their signature checker-board print, but staying up on trends, two of the pairs use a pattern very close in color giving the shoe a solid color upper appearance from a distance.

To update you on a prior post, the Vans Vault Perf LX Pack has started delivering to Vans Vault doors this week. Proper in Long Beach has received both the solid white and black/baby blue collections that feature Vans’ most iconic silhouettes. Check with your local Vans Vault door for availability or check out the Vans Vault page for a list of dealers.

This spring/summer season has some serious heat popping up from the Vans Vault. Many sneakers are worth taking a look at, but our favorites were these black perforated leather sneakers. Dubbed the Black Perf LX pack, the upper is a solid black with light hits of baby blue on a white vulcanized sole. Four silhouettes in all were dressed up in this style including the Sk8-Hi, Half-Cab, Chukka boot, and Slip-on.  This collection will range in price from $65 - $90 depending on the model.

Photo and info thanks to Houyhnhnm via High Snobiety.

The Vans Syndicate program is back in full swing working with W)Taps on an upcoming line. Rather than doing what most collabs do by reinterpreting old models with new colorups, materials, and other gimmicks, the two sides came together to re-engineer a few models as well as creating a new silhouette all together.

W)Taps and Vans worked on three silhouettes, but our favorite is the Bash. This model pays homage to the late 80’s skateboarders who had to get creative with finding the right shoe for the sport. This was way before the times of multi-million dollar skate contracts and kinesiologists working hand in hand with skateboarding design teams - skaters simply tried whatever they could find in the market. In the late 80’s many boarders were fond of the high and mid top basketball shoes which is where the Bash get’s its name from - BAsketball SHoe.

By now you probably have noticed that the Vans Bash is a remix of the Jordan 3, but done in a tasteful manner. The reinterpretation of this silhouette includes quilted stitching on the side panels, extra padding in the tongue, and added perforations to the toebox. The Vans Bash will pop up in June with the rest of the W)Taps x Vans Syndicate collection coming in July and August. Photos thanks to Mash Kulture via Sneaker Files.