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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 16th, 1966 |
| Founder(s) | Paul Van Doren |
| Headquarters | Anaheim, California, United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Industry | Apparel |
| Services | Sale of clothing, footwear, accessories. |
| Parent | VF Outdoor Inc. |
| Website | http://www.vans.com/ |
Originally known as Van Doren Rubber Company, Vans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots, and other shoe types catering primarily to the skateboarder/surfer/snowboarder youth market. They also sell apparel and accessories also catering to this same youth market.
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History
Vans began producing shoes for different sports such as basketball, baseball, and wrestling. These products did not sell very well, and in 1983, Vans was forced to file for bankruptcy. Three years later, Vans paid back all creditors and came out of bankruptcy, in part because, according to the company history, "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.[1] "Penn's black and white checkered Vans ... [took the company] from like ... $20 million to ... $40 million ... after that film came out," Marketplace reported in 2009.[2]
In 1994, Vans began manufacturing overseas and sponsored the Inaugural Triple Crown series which developed into the Vans Triple Crown series. In 1998, Vans opened a 46,000 square-foot, indoor-outdoor Vans Skate park at the Block in Orange County. In 2000 and 2001, Forbes recognized Vans as one of “America’s Best Small Companies." In 2004, Vans launched the Vans Customs on their website. This allowed customers to log onto the Vans website and design their own pair of Vans Slip-ons, mid-cuts, or high-tops.
Criticism
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This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (June 2009) |
According to the Anti Defamation League (ADL): An e-mail rumor long circulated on the Internet suggests that the maker of Vans skateboarding shoes is anti-Jewish because some of their shoes come with a pattern resembling a Star of David on a portion of their outsole (bottom). Some of the more conspiracy-minded e-mails suggest that this pattern was created by the company to put Jews down ("step on Jews") or that the company was "founded by neo-Nazis."
The ADL has concluded that there is no truth to any of these allegations.
While the ADL understands that the use of the Star of David pattern in this context may be offensive to some, there is no factual basis to believe that the maker of Vans shoes incorporated the six-pointed star design in an attempt to insult Jews. Over the years the company has sought to reassure inquirers that the trademarked pattern is just that—a pattern—with no intended anti-Jewish message.
After contacting the company in the 1990s when the rumor began spreading, ADL was reassured by the chief executive office of Vans that the interlinking six-pointed star pattern on their shoes dated from the founding of the company and "was not done with even any awareness that it was the Star of David." [3]
The League accepts the company's explanation that the design is in fact just a design.
http://www.orchidfootwear.com/i/shoes/big/spring/vandever-casual-sp08-500.jpg
International Stores
Vans currently operates retail stores in Carnaby Street and White City in London as well as Leeds in the UK, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Antwerp, Barcelona, Berlin, Paris and Tartu Estonia. as well as the famous store 46 in Torrance were an alleged delicious once thrived
There are outlet stores in Cheshire Oaks, Bridgend, Portsmouth, Banbridge, La Vallée Village, La Roca Village, Las Rozas Village, Roermond, Parndorf and Gold Coast, Australia.
References
- ^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Cite_errors" class="external text" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Cite_errors" rel="nofollow">Cite error</a>: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named V01.
- ^ "How Vans got off on the right foot" Interview by Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal with Doug Palladini, the company's VP of marketing, June 15, 2009. Retrieved 6/15/09.
- ^ http://www.adl.org/Internet_Rumors/Vans_Shoes.htm
External links
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