CLASSIC & FAMILY NO. 2 - SPRING 13
SK8-HI - NAVY
CLASSIC & FAMILY NO. 2 - SPRING 13
In 1966, the Van Doren Rubber Company opened for business in Anaheim, CA. A simple canvas shoe, locally made and sold on the spot to its customers, would make its mark with a simple message: If you love your Vans, tell a friend. Deeply rooted in the California beach town way of life, the appeal of its individualistic aesthetic and message began to draw attention across state and national borders. Before long, skateboarders noticed the sticky gum rubber sole and sturdy construction that helped them stick their tricks and invent more. Close to half a century later, what began with the Authentic has evolved into a full line of heritage silhouettes representing the heart and soul of Vans. For this edition of our magazine, Classic & Family No. 2, we decided to compile a photo essay showcasing the work of photographers who provide the visual testimony to a culture and lifestyle we share, and have re-discovered all over the world. We reached out to colleagues, co-workers, and friends to help us select photographers who inspire them. From Berlin and Copenhagen to Mexico City and Melbourne to Boston and Vancouver back to our own turf in the City of Angels, we got the chance to see through the eyes of those with a particular interest in the beautiful, the ugly, the monumental, the mundane, the luminous, and the obscure that surrounds them every day. Both, their imagery and stories have easily lured us in and bear witness to a group of artists focused on an individual yet unifying vision. If the photographic panoply composed in this book manages to reveal even just the smallest shred of who they are as artists and human beings, we’ve accomplished our mission.
HALF CAB - BLACK
LEFT PAGE: AUTHENTIC - BLACK / THIS PAGE:SK8-HI - BLACK
ERA - TRUE WHITE, AUTHENTIC (VANS X LOVE ME) - RED, AUTHENTIC (GLITTER) GREY / MICRO DOTS
ERA CA - (BRUSHED TWILL) BLUE / ALUMINIUM
CHUKKA BOOT CA - (HULA CAMO) ALUMINIUM
SK8-HI - NAVY
AUTHENTIC SLIM - (WATERCOLOR) TEAL
SK8-HI - (SUEDE / DENIM) BLUE
106 VULCANIZED - (WASHED) TILE BLUE/TRUE WHITE
AUTHENTIC - BRIGHT GREEN / BLACK
AUTHENTIC - LEMON CHROME/BLACK
AUTHENTIC - (CLASSIC CHAMBRAY) BLACK, SK8-HI - BLACK DENIM
SK8-HI - NAVY
AUTHENTIC HI - NAVY/TRUE WHITE
106 VULCANIZED - BLACK/BLUE
SK8-HI REISSUE - (LEATHER) CHILI PEPPER / BLACK, ERA - (VAN DOREN) HAWAIIAN / RED
AUTHENTIC HI - NAVY/TRUE WHITE
AUTHENTIC - BRIGHT GREEN / BLACK
ERA - TRUE WHITE
ERA CA - (BRUSHED TWILL) BLUE / ALUMINIUM
AUTHENTIC CA - (HULA CAMO) ALUMINIUM, AUTHENTIC HI - BLACK / TRUE WHITE
AUTHENTIC LO PRO - (LEOPARD) KHAKI / HOTPINK
SK8-HI - NAVY
CHUKKA BOOT CA - (FLORAL CAMO) OLIVE NIGHT
AUTHENTIC - BRIGHT ROSE / TRUE WHITE
SK8-HI - NAVY
AUTHENTIC HI - NAVY/TRUE WHITE
AUTHENTIC - (CLASSIC CHAMBRAY) CHILI PEPPER, AUTHENTIC - BRIGHT ROSE / TRUE WHITE
AUTHENTIC - RED
ABOUT THOSE WHO WERE BEHIND THE LENS.
LASSE KOFOD COPENHAGEN Lasse Kofod was born in a small village north of Copenhagen and first spotted checkerboard Classic Slip-Ons on the cool kids at his school. Soon after seeing an Iron Maiden SK8-Hi sitting on a shelf at his local shop, he found himself engulfed in sea of Vans on seemingly everybody’s feet around him. When he turned 18, he surprised his parents by not asking for a driver’s license, like any other Danish kid would at the time, but for a camera. He has not stopped taking photos since. Today, he calls the Danish capital his home, and the things and people Lasse photographs tend to take him into unexpected places and situations. Exploring the world through his lens lets Lasse enter people’s lives, strangers or not, to sometimes end up in an unfamiliar kitchen for a cup of tea with someone he just met that day. The surreal aspect of life functions as a creative catalyst. Caricature to Lasse, can be a pathway into the essence of people. Mannerism, posture, facial expression or clothes tell him a unique story, and lend variety and versatility to his photography. Whether in the midst of an international hot spot like Belfast, a place that allowed Lasse a rare insight into a violent conflict that no longer occupies much room in the news, or taking photos of his friends doing what they do without interference, Lasse continues to look for encounters that can’t be replicated but immortalized with the push of a camera button. www.lassekofod.dk
LAUREN WARD LOS ANGELES Lauren Ward was born and raised in Southern California and lives in Echo Park, Los Angeles today. As a teenager, she could not be spotted without a point-and-shoot camera, and later studied black and white photography at college in Colorado. Her first pictures depicted open landscapes, farmhouses and ghost towns outside of Boulder, Colorado. These exercises, Lauren says, truly shaped the way she shoots photos today. Family and close friends are her personal subject of choice. When an idea crosses her mind, they are usually available to help her make it a reality. Over the past year, Lauren has been photographing a 15-year-old girl, who has become a good friend in the process of developing a strong photographer-muse relationship. A few of Lauren’s best photos have been the result of their bond, and she hopes to continue working with her young collaborator as she grows older. When it comes to Vans, Lauren has had a first-row seat. Growing up in the surf community of San Clemente, her Dad was a local skater in Huntington Beach in the 1970s and never tired of showing off his old school tricks to his daughter and her friends. Lauren wanted to be just like her father and relates to the surf and skate culture on a deeply rooted level. It hardly comes as a surprise that her photography reflects a spirit nurtured in Vans’ very own backyard. www.laurenward.net
ALEX “FOLEY” FLACH BERLIN Alex Flach is a Berlin original and has been known as “Foley” for 20 years. Autodidact through and through, this particular German exudes an uncanny joie de vivre with great appreciation for the irregular element in his craft. Whether shooting an old friend, an artist or musician with only five minutes time, as he had for a quick chat and glass of Jack Daniels with Lemme from Motörhead, people are the most interesting subject to Foley. Working within the skate industry has taken him to all corners of the globe and it continues to be one of the most rewarding aspects about his daily grind. Vans appeared on his radar around 1987 when he started skateboarding and black and white checkerboard Slip-Ons were considered top of the line in the fatherland. A 1998 European Vans Tour on a double-decker sleeper bus with the entire European team and a few U.S. skaters like Ethan Fowler, Ray Barbee, and Peter Hewitt became an unforgettable three weeks across the old continent, and took its place in a long line of photo memories such as his collaboration with Lodown, and people like Jason Dill, Dash Snow, Alex and Steve Olson, Neckface, and the L.A. Supreme guys. But while the visual material that has come forth from the Girl and Chocolate family and the work of photographers like Tim Walker appeal to Foley, his friends and beloved hometown of Berlin remain his biggest inspiration. Foley’s thanks go out to Jana, Nadine, Daria, Julian, other Julian, Benja, Evan, and Brian.
TIMOTHY HILLIER MELBOURNE About 10 years ago, Tim Hillier’s friend Rick came to Melbourne to spend some time visiting galleries, eating out, and wandering about town. At a camera store on Elizabeth Street, Rick encouraged Tim to buy an Olympus Mju 2. That summer, Tim photographed everyone and everything that crossed his path. Iconic photographers like Wolfgang Tillmans, Nan Goldin, William Eggleston, and Bill Henson opened Tim’s eyes to the possibilities of photography, while today, friends, artists, and musicians inspire him in his own endeavors. He still has the Olympus, held together with tape and elastic bands, which has given his images a characteristic streak as the result of light leaked onto the negative. Embracing the errors that occur in the process of photography has become part of what Tim creates - be it light leaks, off framing, or improper exposure. A memorable project of his career brought him to Indigenous Australian communities where he encountered one of the world’s oldest cultures, and left with an indelible impression of what we’re all made of. Tim started skating when he was 13, and after receiving Vans product for a few years, he was happy to pass the torch on to the next generation of Australian skaters. He is still on his board every day at spots near the Melbourne Museum, Lincoln Square or Clifton Hill, cruising through long summer nights and the photographic potential that lies in the extraordinary colors and atmosphere of tens of thousands of years worth of humanity’s seasons unfolding around him relentlessly. www.timothyhillier.com
ANDREW VOLK VANCOUVER Canadian photographer Andrew Volk is from Kelowna, BC, and lives in Vancouver today. With a soft spot for trick photography, analog gimmicks, superscope, double exposure toggles, and underwater cameras, Andrew plays by his own rules. Utilizing the approach of impressionist painters to reproduce vague or rarely witnessed emotions, Andrew seeks out the aesthetic of honest moments that reach beyond the self-conscious or staged. His style of photography has been described as tender, authentic, and candid, which seems to hit close to home. Part of the biggest lesson that photography has taught him about himself is how sentimental he can be, whether shooting security guards blasting fire extinguishers at looters during the Vancouver Canucks Riot, Van Duesen Park in an apocalyptic snow flurry, or dreaming of photographing the pyramids in Egypt and astronauts in outer space. Although a too-late-in-the-day Christmas gift of a pair of Vans didn’t do much to up his reputation at school as a kid, the first ones he bought himself lasted forever and can still be found on his feet every now and again. Capturing a few of the irreproducible instants that anyone is lucky enough to have with friends and close companions is invaluable to Andrew, both, in his work and in life. A strategy that has allowed him to document components of his subjects that reflect who they are, and has become a distinct and unambiguous trait of his photography. www.andrew-volk.com
SCOTT LÉON BOSTON Scott León was introduced to photography by a naked girl. With nothing better to do on a normal day in his home city of Los Angeles, he visited a photographer friend at her studio, who happened to be shooting a pretty model in the nude. Reason enough for Scott to come back the next day, the day after, and eventually take up an internship with his friend. He hasn’t looked back since. Running his own program today, Scott has a love for old, broken film cameras. As a photographer, even if you are not the savviest of technical experts, to Scott’s mind, it is important to know your camera and equipment intimately, simply because it will make you a better photographer. You won’t get far with indiscriminately throwing light into space on strobe, and trying to adjust the image on your camera or computer afterwards. Attached to the brand since childhood through skating, becoming part of the Vans family is a special privilege to Scott. Photography has completely changed his life on every imaginable level, and his work has taught him the important art of noticing the world around him, plus a few key skills that he used to lack – patience being one of them. In the future, Scott hopes to further grow as a professional and hone his passion into a refined and characteristic vision. www.scottleonphotography.com
SERGIO OROSPE MEXICO CITY Sergio Orospe Hernández is a freelance photographer and journalist from Mexico City and has worked with magazines such as Nylon MX, Elle, 192 magazine, Vice, Warp, Status Magazine (Asia), Amelia’s magazine (UK), Esquire and others. These days, he keeps himself busy as editor-in-chief of Pánico Magazine, a men’s magazine dealing with street wear, art, and culture based on his hometown that is becoming the most important publication for young men in the city (www.panico.com.mx). Steeped in photography all throughout childhood thanks to a one-hour photo shop his parents ran, he used to hate it but soon realized that there was something to it. Today, he focuses on portraits and fashion and gravitates towards raw subjects, dirty and natural, with as little production as possible. Although he enjoys creating an atmosphere, the unfiltered proximity to who people think they are, and crystallizing their substance in images is hard to beat, even when working in a studio. His life has wound around the unpredictable road that photography has led it along, including memorable encounters with people he admires like Gary Numan, Mark Ronson or Kenneth Anger. Vans have been on his feet since he was 18 years old, and Sergio has always been drawn to the brand’s involvement in music, art, and a lifestyle that is relevant to today’s young generation. Whether working with celebrities or shooting photos of his friends and their dogs at Chapultepec Park, a photo that manages to distill a person’s story continues to be Sergio’s most rewarding pursuit. sergioorospe.tumblr.com
COVER LASSE KOFOD
INSIDE COVER LAUREN WARD
PAGE 02-03 LASSE KOFOD
PAGE 04-05 LEFT: TIMOTHY HILLIER RIGHT: LAUREN WARD
PAGE 06-07 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 10-11 LEFT: LAUREN WARD
PAGE 08-09 LEFT: LAUREN WARD RIGHT: ALEX FLACH
PAGE 12-13 TIMOTHY HILLIER
PAGE 14-15 LASSE KOFOD
PAGE 16-17 TOP LEFT: LASSE KOFOD BOTTOM TWO: ALEX FLACH
PAGE 18-19 SP13 VAN DOREN PARROT PRINT
PAGE 20-21 TIMOTHY HILLIER
PAGE 22-23 TOP LEFT: ALEX FLACH BOTTOM LEFT: SCOTT LÉON RIGHT: LASSE KOFOD
PAGE 24-25 LEFT: LASSE KOFOD RIGHT: LAUREN WARD
PAGE 26-27 LEFT: LASSE KOFOD TOP RIGHT: ANDREW VOLK BOTTOM RIGHT: ALEX FLACH
PAGE 28-29 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 30-31 LEFT: LASSE KOFOD TOP RIGHT: SERGIO OROSPE BOTTOM RIGHT: LASSE KOFOD
PAGE 32-33 ALEX FLACH
PAGE 34-35 LEFT: SCOTT LÉON TOP/BOTTOM RIGHT: LAUREN WARD CENTER RIGHT: LASSE KOFOD
PAGE 36-37 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 38-39 LEFT: ALEX FLACH RIGHT: LASSE KOFOD
PAGE 40-41 SP13 “OVERSPRAY” PRINT
PAGE 42-43 ANDREW VOLK
PAGE 44-45 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 46-47 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 48-49 SCOTT LÉON
PAGE 50-51 SERGIO OROSPE
PAGE 52-53 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 54-55 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 56-57 SP13 VAN DOREN RETRO FLAG PRINT
PAGE 58-59 ALEX FLACH
PAGE 60-61 ALEX FLACH
PAGE 62-63 SCOTT LÉON
PAGE 64-65 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 66-67 SERGIO OROSPE
PAGE 68-69 WAFFLE SOLE
PAGE 70-71 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 72-73 SCOTT LÉON
PAGE 74-75 SCOTT LÉON
PAGE 76-77 LEFT: ANDREW VOLK RIGHT: LAUREN WARD
PAGE 78-79 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 80-81 LEFT: SCOTT LÉON RIGHT: LAUREN WARD
PAGE 82-83 LAUREN WARD
PAGE 84-85 TIMOTHY HILLIER
PAGE 86-87 SP13 LEOPARD PRINT
PAGE 88-89 LAUREN WARD
CLASSIC & FAMILY
NO. 2 - SPRING 13
EDITOR IN CHIEF - JULIA FROEMEL ART DIRECTOR - MICHAEL DE WIT COPYWRITER - CORNELIA VON HASSELBACH - POZZEBON WWW.VANS.COM - ©2013 VANS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. VANS, THE VANS LOGOS, DESIGNS AND MODEL NAMES ARE TRADEMARKS OF VANS, INC. THIS IS A VANS, INC. PUBLICATION, DESIGNED IN THE U.S.A. ALL PHOTOGRAPHS, GRAPHICS DESIGNS AND ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE PUBLICATION ARE LEGALLY PROTECTED AGAINST ANY UNAUTHORIZED USE, COPYING OR REPRODUCTION. ANY USE, COPYING OR REPRODUCTION OF SUCH PHOTOGRAPHY, GRAPHIC DESIGN AND/OR ILLUSTRATION FOR ANY PURPOSE REQUIRES THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF VANS, INC.
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