The Vans Classic Slip On is another shoe that has defined an era in sneakers and a sport. Much like the Converse All-Star defined high tops and basketball in the 1950s, the Vanc Classic Slip On defined the comfort and ease of California's beach culture. Vans spent the better part of the 1970s becoming the shoe brand that embodied all things California.
Known as shoe #44 for the Vans Doren Rubber Company, it became all the rage of Southern California and then the nation when Sean Penn wore the shoes in the 1982 hit Fast Times at Ridgemont High. While the Van Classic Slip On remained popular for a long time, the family owned Vans company went out of business due to the lack of success in other shoes that came to market and the company is now owned by the VF Corporation.
The thing I like most about the Vans Classic Slip On is the unique checkerboard pattern. Unlike the Converse All-Star which was all white or all black, the checkerboard pattern on the Vans Classic Slip On allowed the BMX riders and skaters to have a unique style. This theme of unique style is still embedded in today's Vans Classic Slip On with thousands of pattern styles to choose from. This has driven the popularity of the shoe so much that it gave birth to Vans Customs, a rebirth of a former business model, that monetizes the uniqueness of each Vans customer. When Vans was still a small company, customers could bring any type of fabric they wanted and Vans would create the Vans slip on with that fabric. Now, customers can create these own Vans shoes on Vans.com to continue the tradition of uniqueness.
With all the popularity because of the Slip On's style, the Vans Classic Slip On is actually a very comfortable shoe. Because they had help from skaters and BMX riders in developing the shoe, the Van Doren family included a padded collar and a durable, form fitting canvas material. BMX riders and skaters do lots of jumps and the Vans Slip On counters this with a shock absorbing footbed that is backed up by a Vans signature Off the Wall gum outersole with a waffle performance tread. The Vans Classic Slip On, #44, is iconic and continues to grace the feet happy customers today.
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