Neither Vans nor AVE’s and Jason Dill’s brainchild Fucking Awesome are known for, well, let’s call it restraint. Vans have been around for 50 years now, which, by skateboarding standards, makes them practically dinosaurs. They’re pretty proud of their past, understandably, and can’t stop rubbing everyone’s noses in their age like senior citizens on crowded busses. Anyway, Vans has defined much of skateboarding’s history by releasing one legendary shoe model after the other, making the respect they receive well-deserved. Fucking Awesome, on the other hand, is not quite as old (although they’re not exactly as fresh as morning dew, either) but at least twice as outspoken as Vans. Dill and AVE run their company from sunny LA which probably explains their loud and agitated art direction defined by bold graphics and lettering and some provocation thrown in here and there for good measure. Loved by skateboarders and street wear folks alike, FA have earned their place in the industry more by not giving a shit rather than by virtue of poignant satire. Now, Vans and FA have collaborated on the Epoch ’94 Pro, a long-forgotten Vans shoe that has been revived by the ongoing 90s nostalgia. However, it’s not 1994 anymore, so Vans have updated the Epoch with all the stuff you’d expect from a Pro shoe like Duracap reinforced uppers and Ultracush sockliners. Fucking Awesome have contributed their logo which you can’t miss since it’s embossed all over the kicks. They’re also pretty shiny, which doesn’t exactly make these shoes an understatement. Then again, street wear has never been known for, well, let’s call it restraint. The Vans x FA collaboration is available from Saturday, January 21, both in-store and online.
