VANS Sneakers - Did You Know Mondays

The first Vans store was opened on March 16 1966 in California. Paul Van Doren and three partners opened the Van Doren Rubber Company which originally manufactured shoes and sold them directly to the public. They gradually grew into the 1970s were they were contracted to produce shoes for the US Defence Force and Air Force. That's also the time when skateboarders gained interest in the sneaker, and in 1975 Vans came out with a design, called The Era, with multiple colours that was popular among skaters. In 1979 the shoe grew within a variety of other sports like BMX Riding and had 70 stores locally and internationally.

In the 1980s the sneaker went into waveboarding, motorcross, surfing and was also a stylish accessory. Vans Slip-Ons gained international attention and appeal when they were worn by Sean Penn in the 1982, iconic youth film Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Although Vans core shoes were selling well, the wide range of products that the company now offered had drained the companies’ resources, and with Vans not able to overcome its debt they were forced to file for bankruptcy in 1983. Vans then took three years to pick itself out of bankruptcy but the original owners then sold the company to an investment company. The company has been sold numerous times since then and was most recently sold for 396 million dollars to Greensboro. Paul and Cheryl Van Doren, children of Paul Van Doren, are still within the company. In 2001 Vans was recognised as one of "America's Best Small Companies" by Forbes