Dive Brief:
- VF Corp.-owned Vans is launching a new high-end category, which it refers to as its “pinnacle” line OTW by Vans, set to launch during Paris Men’s Fashion Week for spring-summer 2024, the company announced Wednesday.
- To make way for the OTW consumer launch in early 2024, Vans will phase out its Vault line at the end of this year. OTW will have its own e-commerce experience, though it didn’t specify whether this was an app or website, and will be available globally at a “curated selection of wholesale partners.”
- Vans experienced decreased revenues in its last fiscal year, and analysts have noted that VF’s new CEO Bracken Darrell could make turning the brand around his “first and foremost priority.”
Dive Insight:
Vans is branding OTW as a platform for the brand to combine its product expressions and brand experiences with innovators in art, design, style, skate culture and entertainment, according to the release.
The category is under the direction of Ian Ginoza, vice president and head of creative direction for Pinnacle at Vans. The pinnacle category, which will include both footwear and apparel, will be divided between OTW, which Vans calls a designated space for product exploration with collaborators, and Premium Standard, a collection of classics from Vans’ range of silhouettes, according to the release.
“We are rooting the next chapter of Vans in the attitude and mindset of the brand's true self, defined and shaped by the community of original disruptors,” Ginoza said in the release.
It will also allow for collaborations, beginning with S.R. Studio LA. CA. by Sterling Ruby, which will debut in early 2024.
Although price points have not been released yet, the price point for the line will be higher than Vans’ main line, albeit not luxury prices, according to a report from WWD.
Vans didn’t respond to Fashion Dive’s request for comment ahead of press time.
