Sesame Street x Vans Old Skool 'Elmo'
Colorway: Natural · Style code: VN0007NT7VJ · Release date: June 9, 2023 · Price: $110 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Vans Old Skool 'Earth Tones - Green Gables' (VN0007NT2LN) · Vans Old Skool 'Leaf Camo' (VN0007NT448) · Vans Old Skool 'Pig Suede - Antelope Gum' (VN0007NT5QJ) · Vans Old Skool 'Color Theory - Glow' (VN0007NT7V0) · One Piece x Vans Old Skool 'Devil Fruit' (VN0007NT7WM)
Licensed character shoes usually paint the whole upper in the character's colour. This one goes the other way, keeping a natural, undyed canvas base so the Elmo artwork reads as a print on cloth rather than as a costume. The plain ground also lets the model's own details survive the collaboration: the leather sidestripe, the toe overlay and the foxing tape all stay where they belong instead of being swallowed by a graphic.
It released on June 9, 2023 at $95, near the top of the range for this silhouette, which is normal for a licensing deal with a programme as long-running as Sesame Street. Underneath sits the standard set of parts, a padded ankle collar, a reinforced toe, metal eyelets and a vulcanised rubber sole with the waffle tread. Natural canvas takes dirt fast and cleans up reasonably well, so these tend to be bought by adults who wear them carefully and by children who do not.