Vans Skate Old Skool 'Safari'
Colorway: Black/Greenery · Style code: VN0A5FCBWUB · Release date: November 2023 · Price: $2682 · Availability: Available now
More colorways: Hockey x Vans Old Skool 'Snakeskin' (VN0A5FCB18J) · Vans Skate Old Skool 'Pewter' (VN0A5FCB1N6) · Quasi x Vans Skate Old Skool 'Asphalt' (VN0A5FCB1O7) · Vans Skate Old Skool 'Mono - Dark Blue' (VN0A5FCB1PE) · Vans Skate Old Skool 'Aloha' (VN0A5FCB3LA)
Vans sells two versions of this silhouette: the one that sits in the classics range and the one built for skating, and this is the latter. The skate build stiffens and pads the areas a board grinds against and runs a different internal setup, while keeping the outline recognisable enough that most people would not clock the difference on the street. Black suede is the practical choice for anyone actually skating it, with Greenery accents adding the only colour on the shoe.
It arrived in November 2023 at $80. The suede is the wear part here, since ollie abrasion destroys a canvas toe in weeks, and the reinforced construction around the lacing exists for the same reason. Underneath is the vulcanised rubber sole and waffle tread that made the brand a skate-shop staple in the first place. Skate-line pairs cost more than the general-release versions and earn it only if the shoe gets used, which is why they turn up secondhand in rougher shape than lifestyle colourways.