Valentino’s forthcoming Vans collaboration might have surprised some show-goers at Paris Fashion Week, but it really shouldn’t have.
Yesterday, the Roman couture house presented its autumn/winter 2025 collection, ‘Le Méta Théâtre Des Intimité,’ or ‘The Meta Theater of Intimacy’. Set in a changing room complete with sinks, lockers, and tiling all drenched in the brand’s signature red, the models were dressed in ’70s-inspired suits, embellished dresses, and the telltale maximalist accessories of creative director Alessandro Michele.
It was everything that we’ve come to expect from the designer, both deeply retro and extremely of the moment. Among all the chunky sunglasses and leather boho bags, though, we also spotted several scene-stealing sneakers. And while they originally looked liked Valentino’s own creations, we can now confirm that they were actually Vans—the Vans Authentic, specifically.
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The Authentic was the first shoe Vans ever released way back in 1966, and it remains a blueprint for many of the SoCal’s brand later hits. For its riff on the genre-defining skate shoe, Valentino eschewed the ultra-luxe route—there’s no buttery suede or calfskin leather here—instead honoring the model’s roots with a tough canvas upper and vulcanized rubber sole you can genuinely skate in.
At the Italian maison’s latest show, two notable colorways were unveiled—the first covered in the California skate brand’s classic checkerboard pattern, now reworked in lime green and black; the second printed with “I Love My Vans” and a recurring Valentino logo motif. Even more pairs are in the works, but the models’ long flared trousers and floor-skimming gowns made ID’ing the rest of ’em a little tricky.
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At first glance, the collaboration might seem kind of unexpected, but it actually makes a lot of sense. During Michele’s Gucci days, the designer collaborated with the California brand on funkified versions of Vans classics including the Old Skool, the OG Mule, and the Slip-On. (Vans is a particular favorite of noted Michele fan—and occasional Michele collaborator—Harry Styles, too.)
Valentino x Vans is set to drop later this year at Valentino, Vans, and select stockists around the world, but if you simply can’t wait to lace-up the platonic-ideal beater sneaker, make like Styles himself and spring for a mainline pair of your own.
This story originally appeared on British GQ.
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