Which sneaker do you think of when you think of a classic? I immediately think of the Vans checkerboard. This is a shoe that has become a trademark for a whole generation of skaters and streetwear fans. No sneaker has such an unmistakable appearance as the comfortable slip-on Vans with its checkerboard pattern. But only very few know how the cult shoe came about. In 1966, Paul Van Doren, along with his brother Jim and friends Gordon Lee and Serge Delia, opened the doors of the Van Doren Rubber Company in Anaheim, California. Paul Van Doren had already gained experience in the shoe industry in his hometown of Boston. But the new business model was to be unique: The friends brought the shoes straight from the factory to the consumer - they were customer orders,made for their buyers and sold for $ 2.99 a pair. The four founders sold twelve pairs on the very first day.

Aylin Guler

Editor for social media.

  • Follow I follow

The history of the Vans Checkerboard begins in 1977 as Vans Style No. 48. Steve Van Doren, Paul's son, noticed that young skaters painted the midsole of their shoes to create a checkerboard pattern.

Paul Van Doren then simply printed the pattern on the top of the slip-ons.

This is how the famous checkerboard design was born.

Around the same time, a new wave of music conquered Europe.

A mix of raw vocals and punk style with the melodic undertones of Caribbean music known as ska.

The second wave of ska became known as "two-tone": bands like The Specials used the checkerboard pattern as a symbol of racial equality.

Vans checkerboard slip-ons became favorites among fans of the subculture.

From the skate ramp to the red carpet

In 1982, a Universal Pictures rep asked about shoe options for a movie. "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" is the first great teenage comedy of the eighties. It is said that Sean Penn, star of the film, personally selected the checkerboard style. In his role as Jeff Spicoli, he wore the black and white sneakers that later even landed on the cover of the soundtrack. So the shoes went from one success to the next. Today you can see the checkerboard not only on the skate ramp, but also on the red carpet and at fashion shows. Cooperations with leading brands such as Marc Jacobs, Supreme and Disney contributed to the good reputation.

I have a couple too.

I bought my first checkerboard in 2006 when I was traveling to the United States for the first time.

Back then I wore it as a skater, today as a fashionable eye-catcher.

Paul Van Doren was managing director of his company until 1988, and his children are still part of the management team at Vans today.

For a long time, Van Doren was on the road as a brand ambassador.

He died on May 6th at the age of 90.

His memories had appeared nine days earlier: "Authentic".

The title fits - to his life and his shoes.