Liberty Fabrics x Vans Old Skool Tapered 'Patchwork Floral'
Colorway: Multi-Color/Multi-Color · Style code: VN0A54F44TV · Price: $101 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Liberty Fabrics x Vans Old Skool Tapered 'Patchwork Floral - Black Multi' (VN0A54F44TR) · Liberty Fabrics x Vans Old Skool Tapered 'Patchwork Floral - Multi' (VN0A54F44TW) · Vans Old Skool 'Tapered - Lavender' (VN0A54F44U1) · Vans Old Skool Tapered Cali Sneakers (VN0A54F44U3) · Vans Old Skool Tapered 'Eco Theory - Black White Checkerboard' (VN0A54F4705)
Liberty has been printing fabric in London since 1875 and its florals are the reason the name carries outside fashion circles at all. Putting those prints on a skate shoe means the upper is assembled from several of them at once here, cut and pieced so that the toe, the quarter and the heel each carry a different pattern. The result is busy by design, and the plain sidestripe running across it is the only element that stays still.
The Tapered build narrows the shape through the forefoot compared with the standard cut, which suits a patchwork upper by giving the panels a slightly sleeker frame to sit in. It was priced at $75, above the plain canvas tier and below the deeper collaborations. The rest is unchanged: a padded collar, metal eyelets, a vulcanised rubber sole and the waffle tread. Floral prints on this silhouette date back years, but licensing a heritage textile house rather than drawing a new pattern is what separates this one.