Sept 23 update: House of Vans has closed its doors since this was first published. It makes the visits and market more special.
Off the Wall.
What does that mean? It's a coin termed by skateboarders in the mid to late 70s to describe air tricks in those empty Californian residential swimming pools that they were scoping out.
For Vans it was adopted to represent the spirit of cultural rebellion, subversion and creativity. Since 1966, Vans has been at forefront of underground skate, surf and music culture. Since 2006, it's been at the front and centre as one of my favourite brands for this very reason.
House of Vans is all things Vans under Waterloo arches. I visited when it first opened in 2015 for birthday fried chicken, waffles and maple syrup. I went on to work for Vans for two consecutive summers in Bournemouth - my love for the brand and knowledge of its history and product cemented by the wonderful Greg, the captain of our ship.
Imagine my sheer excitement when Jo, South Coast Makers Market, scored the curation for Vans' Community Market. It was big.
The market was ace, company brilliant; Vans team extra lovely; Jo - a legend, obviously; visitors, skaters, those that came down specifically for the market - heroes.
Here's some snaps:
You can shop El's personally curated selection of vintage European and American workwear including worker jackets, overalls, coveralls, trousers and more, as well as military wear, Americana and denim, here.
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