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Vans Just Made a Sneaker Combining Two of Its Most Iconic Shoes

Era or Old Skool? With Vans’s newest release, you no longer need to choose.

blue vans shoeBeams

By Jack Seemer

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Era or Old Skool? It’s a question many skaters — and non-skaters — have asked themselves since the late 1970s, when Vans debuted both stalwart shoe models.

With the brand’s latest release, however, they no longer have to — assuming they’ll find themselves in Japan soon.

That’s because the SSZ Era Skool, a new collaboration between Vans and the Japanese label Beams, combines elements of the two legendary silhouettes.

blue vans shoe
The SSZ Era Skool combines elements of the Era or Old Skool models, both from the 1970s.
Beams

Era Skool

Like the original Old Skool, the SSZ Era Skool boasts a suede upper, deployed here in a rich navy colorway. It also carries the Old Skool’s signature stripe drawn by Vans founder Paul Van Doren, but only on the interior side.

Era-esque stitching, most prominent with the front toe panel, prevents the shoe from just becoming another Old Skool, while the streamlined look on the lateral side of the foot furthers its novelty.

blue vans shoe
The SSZ Era Skool comes with two sets of laces — one white and one navy.
Beams

As for the other details, the shoe sits atop a classic white midsole and comes with two pairs of laces — one white and one blue for a tonal look.

This isn’t the first time Vans has played around with its famous models. Just last month, the brand gave the Old Skool a gorpy makeover via its premium OTW subdivision.

Vans technical hiking shoe
The OTW Old Skool 36 Trail Vibram also remixed the Old Skool.
Vans

But unlike that release, the SSZ Era Skool will prove to be a bit more exclusive. At launch, the shoe is only available in Japan for a price of 13,200 Japanese yen (about $85).

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