Bianca Chandôn x Vans Old Skool VLT LX 'Stressed Red'
Colorway: Stressed Red/White · Style code: VN0A4BVFY52 · Release date: August 20, 2022 · Price: $250 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: KRINK x Vans Vault Old Skool VLT LX 'Black' (VN0A4BVF172) · KRINK x Vans Vault Old Skool VLT LX 'Medium Blue' (VN0A4BVF173) · Shane Gonzales x Vans Old Skool VLT LX 'Star Spangled Glamour' (VN0A4BVF1KP) · Baracuta x Vans Old Skool VLT LX 'Black Tartan Checkerboard' (VN0A4BVF22B) · Vans Old Skool Baracuta Sneakers (VN0A4BVF22B1)
Alex Olson started Bianca Chandon in 2013, and the footwear collection this pair comes from carries that label's habit of treating a garment as something already lived in. The off-white canvas upper is hand-distressed rather than printed to look worn, and an all-over pattern of red stars runs across it. Crimson suede reinforces the eyestay, the forefoot and the heel, giving the soft base three points of structure and a second, deeper red to play against the print.
The weathering carries below the upper: the vulcanised rubber midsole has stained white sidewalls, with a ballpoint-style Bianca Chandon signature on the lateral side. White leather side stripes are the only element left clean. It released on August 20, 2022 at $120, VLT LX designating the upgraded build rather than a general-release make-up. Distressed finishes done at the factory are divisive, but the point of one is that every pair arrives slightly different, which a uniformly printed shoe can never be.