Vans is pulling out all the stops and embracing its skate heritage as it reopens its flagship in a return to central London via a revamped store that features a number of firsts for the label. 

The Vans West Ed store at 214 Oxford Street is said to involve “an innovative new approach to retail that takes Vans’ skate DNA to a new level through elevated and functional design, exclusive product assortments and regular event programming to create a fully transformable space for the London community”.

It means skateboarding is “front and centre with a one-of-a-kind skateable retail installation”. The store originally opened in 2019 and “has been transformed into a next-level retail and community destination, celebrating the cultures that made Vans what it is today – skateboarding, music and art”.

It was designed by Milan-based architecture firm Andrea Caputo Studio and “showcases skateboarding culture through elevated architectural and retail design”. Key to the design is a fully transformable skate ramp that “brings the House of Vans spirit to a commercial environment through groundbreaking design”.

This isn’t the West End’s first retail skate ramp as Selfridges installed one several years ago. But given Vans’ intimate skate associations, it’s one that’s likely to make a big impact.

The ramp is a 200 sq m creation of Roman travertine stone running throughout entire store and able to be fully merchandised with interchangeable glass modules when not in use as a skate obstacle. Designed as a single large block of stone, entirely laid and polished on-site, the ramp is “the beating heart of the store, used for regular skate lessons, demos and events by the Vans skate team and local skate schools”. 

Vans’ skate team, including Martino Cattaneo, Helena Long, Josh Young, Willow Voges Fernandes and Jordan Thackeray, also had input into this.

Beyond that, the concept of the store “takes a radical approach to contemporary retail design, adopting a strategy that reduces the store’s storage space requirements by over 50%, in turn increasing the commercial space substantially”. 

The space can be “evolved to support the different cultural moments that Vans will present at the store on a regular basis. One day it can be in skate mode, hosting kids lessons or a skate demo, the next day it can be ready to welcome a live music show or an art exhibition”.

The brand sees it as an “opportunity for Vans to create authentic relationships with consumers through genuine partnerships, assortment elevation and curated capsules”. 

Brands focus

With that in mind, the introduction of third-party partners is a first for the brand in Europe. A “curated selection of partners that align with Vans counterculture values include The Great Frog, Gomi and Lovenskate”. 

Vans West End has also collaborated with London-based creative Jack Charlie Mitchell on an exclusive zine for the store – ‘Feel’ – “featuring work from a diverse spectrum of London creatives”.

The select partners will evolve on a regular basis, while Vans West End will also be a “curated and elevated environment for Vans own product assortment” with OTW, Premium and Skate at the centre. 

In fact, the store is the first owned retail location in Europe that will stock its most pinnacle category – OTW by Vans – previously only available at select partners in the region. Exclusive Vans West End drops will also be available at the store, including a series of ‘Innit’ tees and skate decks “as a playful nod to the local slang”.

Also available will be “some of Vans’ most sought-after and limited collections from previous years” such as collabs with BAPE and Undercover.

Andreas Olsson, VP and GM Vans EMEA, said: “When I came back to Vans a little over a year ago, we set out a clear strategy re-setting us for brand elevation through the lens of skateboarding. We had to course correct, making sure we were listening to what youth culture wants and needs from us when it comes to product and experiences. Now just over a year in, we have made big progress against setting new standards for where we want the brand to go and this destination is an important step in that journey.”