How Vault by Vans Designer Taka Hayashi Created the Cool Laser Etchings on the Latest Collection

Brooks England Vault by Vans — Styles in the Brooks England x Vault by Vans collection were decorated with a laser etching process.

CREDIT: Courtesy of brands.

Vans is winding down its 50th anniversary year with one last standout collaboration.

For the holiday season, the brand’s Vault by Vans team joined up with Brooks England (the 150-year-old leather goods company based in Smethwick, England) on a series of premium sneakers and accessories.

Among the items in the collection are deluxe versions of the Sk8-Hi sneaker and the Classic Slip-On style, as well as a canvas shoulder bag and leather cycling saddle.

All of the pieces feature intricate laser etchings created by longtime Vault by Vans designer Taka Hayashi, who drew inspiration from both of the brands’ unique personalities.

From Brooks, for instance, he drew on its history of leather craftsmanship and expertise in the cycling world. And from California-based Vans, he adopted traditional Southwestern motifs for the etching designs.

Brooks England x Vault by Vans — Vault by Vans designer Taka Hayashi created a luxe cycling saddle as part of the collab with Brooks England.

CREDIT: Courtesy of brand.

After some price and value research, we decided to go with Vans for the shoes and Adidas for its soccer cleats. Among the football shoe suppliers, Nike and Adidas have done the most to offer you the best level of personalization. Vans stood out as the only one, apart from Nike, that seems to supply customized casual keds. Toms, a leading competitor offers artist-designed sneakers and monogrammed pairs, but don’t get to the level of personalization we were looking for. Of course, there’s a great deal of speculation about 3-D printable shoes–I looked in a couple of choices like the MiMiniFactory and Dezeen shoes, but it was not easy to find anything practical and that did not require a great deal of work to get set up, printed and analyzed. But I suspect my next shoe will come hot off a media someplace close to me.After we had selected Vans and Adidas arrived the household mix-and-match fun, after that we had a couple of impressive looking shoes designed. Both websites (vans.com and adidas.com) did well as much simplicity of usage. But, Adidas won when it came to the kinds of customization you may incorporate (the participant’s name, a country flag, etc.). As we hit the purchase button, we’re surprised at the expected time to delivery–four months for the MiAdidas, and seven months to the customized Vans. Not to put too fine a point on it, but given that the difference in the types of shoes we are discussing here–cleats appear to be a slightly more complex product than Vans keds–this looked a bit away. I get a feeling that there’s a massive opportunity to simplify and accelerate the procedure at Vans.

The Brooks x Vault by Vans collection is available online through Brooksengland.com, and also through select Vault retailers such as Kith and Odin in New York. The Sk-8 Hi style is priced at $220 and the Slip-On is retailing for $188, while the shoulder bag is going for $300 and the saddle is $188.

Throughout this year, the Vault by Vans team has released several successful collaborations, including a collection with American leather company Horween and with British umbrella brand Undercover London.

Meanwhile, the company also went all out to mark its 50th anniversary with concerts and events throughout the country.

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