A little over a week ago, I had a care package show up on my doorstep from Vans. I had an idea of what was inside, but I wasn’t sure. Back in October The Shadow Conspiracy had hit me up asking for my shoe and shirt size. They wouldn’t say why they needed it or anything. I knew something was up, and I found out at Interbike in September that the two brands were doing a collaboration. Fast forward to February and the shoes released with a ton of coverage from all angles. So when it showed up on my door step in April I was surprised since I didn’t know I would be getting anything. I decided to put together some photos and info to give you some Insight on the goods. I’ve also compiled some of the past features. Let’s take a look…
There are two versions of the shoe, the Owens Hi Vulc (above) and the low Brasco version. The main goal for this shoe was to give it a simple design, with a unique look. They took two classic models of shoes from Vans, and worked Shadow’s own style into it. They went with a dark denim and black leather with white and red accents. There’s custom logos on the tongue, heel, and sides. They’ve also created a soft, removable footbed cushion with branding on it as well. The vulcanized sole with the waffle pattern allows for plenty of grip and allowing for some feel of the pedal. The soles also have a bit more cushioning to help with heel impact.
The big benefit to the high top style is the ankle protection. The shoe comes with added padding around the ankles to prevent crank arm bite and to absorb the impact from the bike coming around on whips. This also helps to prevent the ankle rolling action. I’m personally more of a fan of mids over highs, but I think Shadow did a good job making the shoe look good so it doesn’t look ridiculous like some other brands high’s I’ve seen. That and they have the low version for those of you who also prefer that style of shoe, so there’s something for everyone.
Personally, riding in the shoes were good. They provide real good ankle protection and plenty of grip on the pedals (as expected with the waffle pattern). I did notice wearing in the shoe a bit is needed since that denim can be a little rough on the toes from rubbing with thin socks at first (or just wear thicker socks?). Other than that, I was real psyched on the detail they put into the graphics. It all looks so rad and I even had a few people wanting to take a closer look at the shoes.
The matching trucker hat is also real good. They kept it real simple and clean with the matching Shadow logo up front on black denim material with the Vans logo on the side and by the size adjustment snap. The inside has the white with black logos on a silk/nylon with the “Silentium Vel Mortis” text that can also be seen on the shoe.
Finally, the shirt with a slightly different pocket logo up front (there’s no pocket, just that’s the spot), and a larger matching logo from the hat and shoes on the back. The shirt is made with 100% cotton so you know it’s soft. I didn’t really have an issue with it shrinking when I washed it either. The tag inside the shirt is a basic printed on Vans tag for those of you who are curious. There’s also a small Vans tag on the bottom of the shirt on the left side.
Since this is a limited edition thing, the shoes have been going fast. You can pick the Owen’s Hi for about $69.99 and the Barasco for $49.99, the hat for $19.99 and shirt for $19.99 as well on Dan’s Comp. Or you can get them directly from Vans at their Store, but they are sold out of the Owens Hi.
I’d like to thank Ron Bonner and The Shadow Conspiracy and Vans for the hook up. I appreciate it!
You can find more about the shoes by hitting the Vans site.
Find out more about Shadow Conspiracy products by hitting TheShadowConspiracy.com.
Vans X Shadow – More BMX Videos
Vans Video Vault: Vans X Shadow Shoe – More BMX Videos
