The iconic “Off The Wall” shoe brand partnered with another Van, Vincent Van Gogh, to offer an artistic twist for a shoe and apparel collection.
Vans, mostly known for a simplistic design via solid colors and black and white checkers, connected with one of the most colorful and complex artists of all time by incorporating four of the artist’s most popular paintings onto shoes and clothing. The juxtaposition resonated with Vans aficionados and drew positive attention to both the brand for honoring a revolutionary historical figure and the museum for connecting with youthful, contemporary style that can be categorized by some as “art”.
The collaboration strikes an unlikely chord and allows consumers to pay homage to an icon of the past with an icon of today. Doing so, solidifies Vans’ positioning as an elevated brand and something more than a shoe. It emphasizes that “Off The Wall” is a lifestyle with a purpose, much like an artist’s intentional brushstrokes. Marketing is an art, too, but luckily also a science. According to the YouGov Brand Index, Van’s Word of Mouth Index jumped from 12% to 20% after the collaboration launched and sold out – meaning that 2 out of 10 people included Vans in a conversation across the two weeks. Not bad.