Natalie Westling — model, skater, Vans enthusiast — has designed a custom version of the brand’s Sk8-Hi Reissue for Opening Ceremony. Not surprisingly, she took inspiration from her own skate history and the 90s scene. Already a brand ambassador for Sk8-Hi, she approached the project with a desire to “create a shoe that I could skate in but was also different from all of my other Vans.”
The final design is a bit of a best of, taking cues from some of Vans’s most iconic details. Her version has a tan nubuck upper, blue leather sidestripe and hang flag, dark gum sole, and mico-mesh mini checkerboard lining — Vans’s signature. Finally the footbed is personalized with a “Natalie Skate” emblem designed to mirror the model’s own tattoos.
Los Angeles photographer Christin Rose shot the accompanying campaign, which costars a group of local New York skaters. Christin is no stranger to the skate scene either, she founded She Plays We Win; a project that champions the positive impact sport can have in young women’s lives.
The Vans x Natalie Westling Sk8-Hi Reissue DX are available at all Opening Ceremony stores and online from today.
Related: Natalie Westling on how Vans has endured as a youth style staple for 50 years
Credits
Text Wendy Syfret
Images courtesy of Vans