Vans, the original action sports brand and advocate for creative expression, announced three-time Grammy award-winning artist, musician and producer Anderson .Paak as the brand’s first Global Music Ambassador. Vans and Anderson share a mutual passion to promote creative expression through their active support of art and music. Anderson is a longtime fan of the brand and always aspires to uplift the community around him, making him a natural addition to the Vans family. Having once worked at a Vans retail store in Topanga Canyon, California, Anderson has since gone on to perform live on the House of Vans stage and is featured as part of Vans’ global music content series, Sidestripe Sessions. This year, Anderson will serve as one of the global judges for the brand’s Vans Musicians Wanted competition, which aims to provide a platform for aspiring artists all around the world.
‘I’m honored to be the newest member of the Vans Family and look forward to making history with one of the most respected global brands,’ said Anderson. ‘I’m thankful for Vans’ partnership with .Paak House and can’t wait to broaden our reach to help even more people tap into their greatest potential.’
‘We are inspired by AP’s multifaceted creative talent and are excited to continue to partner with him throughout the next year for curated music and art initiatives, product design and enabling creativity within the local community and around the world,’ said Tierney Stout, global music marketing lead at Vans. ‘Anderson epitomizes creative expression and we are thrilled to officially welcome him into the Vans Family.’
The forthcoming partnership is celebrated with an exclusive footwear and accessories collection inspired by AP’s Southern California roots and his critically acclaimed breakthrough albums Venice and Malibu. The two-piece footwear assortment headlines with the ubiquitous Old Skool DX silhouette inspired by AP’s debut album, Venice which features a wavy, psychedelic upper that mixes digital print and 3D printing for added depth and texture and is finished with bold yellow eyelets and a translucent blue vinyl Sidestripe. The Sid DX pays homage to AP’s 2016 album, Malibu and showcases embroidered chenille pattern uppers complimented by tonal black laces and stitching and features a Flying-V logo embroidered at each side. Each footwear model is finished with a custom tongue label message from AP along with translucent green waffle soles, custom packaging and dust bag matching back to the collection. The Vans x Anderson .Paak collection includes a matching AP Bucket Hat that showcases each of the custom prints, silicon patches and signature quotes affixed to the brim of each hat. The Vans x Anderson .Paak collection will be available worldwide on November 13.
Aligning with the launch, AP has released his latest single, “JEWELZ” together with an animated music video featuring caricatures of AP and his son, Soul “Khlex” Rasheed in a satirical take on their real life relationship. Decked out in exclusive Vans x Anderson .Paak footwear, the father-son duo battle it out in the feel good dance video directed by Anderson .Paak and Ali Graham.
