Vans concludes Paris Fashion Week presence with live skating installation

VF-Corporation-owned skate and streetwear brand Vans hosted a live installation event the past weekend, melding together the energy of Paris Fashion Week, Go Skateboarding Day, and Fête de la Musique.

Organized and designed by Vans' premium brand OTW, the OTW by Vans Checkered Future event sought to bring together the worlds of skateboarding, streetwear, fashion, art, and entertainment in a live installation on the hill of Montmartre below the Sacré-Coeur Basilica.

Hosted in collaboration with PLAYLAB, INC. and California Skateparks, the large-scale skate bowl installation took place Friday night and featured a live skate exhibition showcasing the unique art of skate culture. Notable participants included Efron Danzig, Curren Caples, and Mami Tezuka, among others from the Vans Skate Team, who demonstrated their skills throughout the event. A checkerboard DJ platform saw performances by Kaytranada, Venus X, and others.

At the event, Drieke Leenknegt, Global CMO of Vans, Ian Ginoza, Vice President and Creative Director for OTW by Vans, and Steve Van Doren, Vans Ambassador, were joined by notable guests such as Emily Ratajkowski, Paloma Elsesser, Jonathan Anderson, Haider Ackermann and Dev Hynes among other distinguished attendees.

"OTW continues to elevate and disrupt the way we think about skateboarding against the backdrop of key cultural moments,” said Ian Ginoza, vice president and creative director for OTW by Vans, in a statement. “From the music to the skateable installation and this iconic location, OTW embodies our purpose, spirit, and attitude rooted in skateboarding."

The event at Sacré-Coeur reflects OTW by Vans' innovative brand ethos and is part of a broader series of unique experiences hosted by the brand. This includes a previous collaboration with PlayLab Inc. and Sterling Ruby for a skateable installation at Frieze Los Angeles. The event was the culmination of a series of events Vans hosted throughout the previous week in Paris and offered a preview of a new storytelling approach from the brand set to debut in July.

"Over 50 years of Vans events, and this moment is one of the best,” said Steve Van Doren, Vans ambassador and the son of the founder of Vans, in a statement. “Skateboarding, our athletes, our community all together in this special place is one for the history books.”