Vans: Manufacturing Extreme Shoes for Extreme People

Vans is an American company that manufactures shoes that can be worn for almost every kind of extreme sports we have today. They create an assortment of comfortable, sturdy and trendy BMX shoes, sneakers, snowboarding boots and skateboarding footwear, and cater mostly to the vibrant, adrenaline-pumped youth market who crams those extreme sports arena every now and then. The company also sells a wide collection of trendy apparel such as caps, eyewear, hoodies, shirts, watches and other accessories, all of which fit into the tastes of most teenagers and the teenagers at heart.

Founded in 1966 by Paul Van Doren along with Gordy Lee and Serge D’Ella, Vans was a company that manufactured and sold shoes directly to the market sans the retailers. They built a small factory in California and operated a mere 400 square-foot shop. Here the three budding entrepreneurs created and sold only three different styles of shoes for a price range of $2.49 - $4.99. If a certain customer wanted a shoe that was different from what the store had to offer, the customer was asked to return a few hours later to pick up his order. Van Doren would then scramble to work on the shoes for them. Thus, the Van’s customized shoes were brought to existence.

Over the next years, Vans was an unstoppable force in the fashion industry, opening a new outlet almost every week and developing new ideas for shoes that fit the needs and styles of teenagers. However, it cannot be denied that the company was particularly interested in creating shoes for extreme sports enthusiasts, making them the choice footwear for those who are involved with heart-pounding, nerve-racking games and exhibitions such as skateboarding, BMX riding, snowboarding and surfing. Needless to say, Van’s shoes are definitely not only made for walking, but are also designed to endure the roughest of conditions in all kinds of terrains.