Vans’ week-long Paris takeover culminated in a bash, blending the energy of Paris Fashion Week with Go Skateboarding Day and Fête de la Musique—at epic scale. 

Welcoming the skateboarding, streetwear, fashion, art and entertainment communities of Paris and beyond, the OTW by Vans Checkered Future event featured a monumental installation set on the hill of Montmartre below the Sacré-Coeur Basilica.

At the summit of the butte of Montmartre, a checkerboard DJ platform overlooking Paris hosted performances by Kaytranada, Venus X, Busy P and Tatyana Jane, and a headlining DJ set by JUSTICE.

Designed by OTW by Vans in partnership with PLAYLAB, INC. and California Skateparks, the installation’s large-scale skate bowl played host to a live skate exhibition paying tribute to the unconventional art derived from skate culture. Vans Skate Team from around the world including Efron Danzig, Curren Caples, Mami Tezuka, Tania Cruz, Elijah Berle, Diego Todd, Martino Cattaneo, Stafhon Boca, Anthony Van Engelen, Rowan Zorilla, Hugo Westrelin, and Willow Voges Fernandes jammed the installation throughout the evening.

Alongside Drieke Leenknegt, Global CMO of Vans, and Ian Ginoza, Vice President, Creative Director for OTW by Vans, and Steve Van Doren, Vans Ambassador and Son of the Founder, guests included Emily Ratajkowski, Paloma Elsesser, Dev Hynes, Bella Poarch, Meadow Walker, Omar Apollo, Jonathan Anderson, Danielle Haim, Fai Khadra, Haze Khadra, Christina Paik, Kim Shui, Moses Sumney, Malick Bodian, Haider Ackermann, Ross Lynch, Devyn Garcia, Yumi Nootenboom, Alva Claire, Rocky Xu, Benji B, Pierce Abernathy, Mike Eckhaus, and Sam Richardson.

Bringing to life the disruptive approach of OTW by Vans, one of the most aspirational expression of Vans product design and experiences, the event at Sacré-Coeur builds upon recent OTW experiences; most recently, a skateable installation, designed by PLAYLAB, INC. in collaboration with Sterling Ruby, during Frieze Los Angeles.

In mid-June, Vans hosted a skate jam, honoring skateboarding pioneer Anthony Van Engelen and his impact on footwear design progression with the launch of the AVE 2.0. This was followed by the opening of Vans Brand Curator and legendary photographer, Atiba Jefferson: Skate Photography Exhibition, in partnership with Architecture c/o Virgil Abloh™️. Ending with OTW by Vans Checkered Future, these moments set the stage for a new storytelling approach launching to come.

Press release courtesy of We Are The Bread

For more news, visit the Connect Everything Collective homepage www.ceconline.co.za