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This Simple Vans Sneaker Is a Rugged Winter Shield in Disguise

An all-weather version of the classic Old Skool just broke cover overseas.

black vans shoeVans

By Jack Seemer

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Most Vans shoes dead-simple: rubber, canvas, maybe a little leather, done. In other words, what you see is what you get.

Until it isn’t.

An all-weather version of the famous Old Skool, Vans’s second-ever design, just broke cover on the brand’s Japanese website. Only it doesn’t look like your typical winter shoe, bogged down by all manner of technical bells and whistles.

black vans shoe
The Premium Old Skool Gore-Tex may look modest but it hides a technical upper and high-performance insoles.
Vans

Nope, the new Premium Old Skool Gore-Tex looks like … well, it looks like the same Old Skool Vans debuted in 1977, right down to the black-and-white colorway, suede overlays and famous jazz stripe (first drawn by founder Paul Van Doren).

black vans shoe
Vans’s signature jazz stripe was drawn by the brand’s founder, Paul Van Doren, in the 1970s.
Vans

Underneath is covert cover, however, is a technical shoe ready for slushy sidewalks and muddy commutes, thanks to Gore-Tex side panels that replace canvas on the original Old Skool.

Vans also included its new antifatigue Sola Foam ADC insoles, which debuted earlier this year as part of its Premium Classics collection.

black vans shoe
Vans debuted its antifatigue Sola Foam ADC insoles earlier this year, as part of its elevated Premium Classic collection.
Vans

A small heel tab reading Gore-Tex confirms the shoe’s weather-ready makeover, with the only other clue found on the tongue, where keen eyes will notice zig-zag stitching in lieu of a straight line.

black vans shoe
The Gore-Tex tab on the heel is one of the few clues that this isn’t your typical Old Skool.
Vans

The release is yet another example of Vans remixing the evergreen Old Skool.

Earlier this year, the company converted the shoe into a trail-ready hiker. More recently, the Japanese retailer Beams made a mashup of the Old Skool and New Era called the Era Skool.

Pricing and availability

Like the latter release, the black Premium Old Skool Gore-Tex appears to be exclusive to Japan at launch. However, US shoppers can shop other colorways, including green and metal gray, both available for $130.

If the black version ever makes the trip overseas, it’s likely to carry the same price tag as those two.

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