Style
Vans' luxe slip-ons with mismatched animal print are not to be missed
They're a collaboration with Japanese brand Needles.
The last time Needles and Vans partnered up, it was "Slip-On" heaven. The Japanese brand upgraded the classic silhouette with crush velour in three colors, including a royal purple, and metallic tassels reminiscent of loafers. It was one of the best Vans collabs in recent memory, so why not run it back with a slight alteration?
Needles has once again decorated the Slip-On with charms, but this time the brand has opted for a mismatched animal print in three colors. The left shoe has been dressed up in zebra stripes while the right is adorned with leopard print. What exactly it's made of is unclear, but it has a nice sheen that suggests it's once again velour or perhaps something even more textured. Whatever the case, it's another opulent pair of Vans — and a real steal at ~$122.
A trio of colors — Just like before, Needles has rendered its Vans in three colors: bronze, white, and black. The first two pair naturally with the animal prints, while the murdered-out version makes the effect easy to miss at first glance. The beauty of all of them is that they can easily be dressed up or dressed down. They'd look equally great with a pair of athletic shorts as they would with a proper pair of trousers — or, of course, Needle's bread-and-butter luxury track pants.
Japan-only... for now — As of this moment, a release has only been announced in Japan through Nepenthes' webstore this Saturday, September 12. But we'd be shocked if these Vans didn't make their way stateside as the last one's did.
Keep an eye out on Nepenthes' New York store for details of a U.S. release, as well as other boutiques. But if you just can't wait, go ahead and fire up that proxy to help you get them this weekend.