In 1966, when Vans opened their doors for the first time in Anaheim California, they certainly didn’t have a premeditated plan to become the alternative brand, or the action sports brand. They were making the best shoes that they could, within the confines of their material constraints. They didn’t have the high-tech set ups of athletic footwear giants, but they did have a vulcanized rubber sole with armored vehicle like durability, and a willingness to individually customize designs to their customers’ liking. It just so happened that burgeoning action sports, the ground zero for which took place in Southern California, prized both individualism and reliably durable footwear. Although this affinity wasn’t planned, when it became apparent, it was cultivated, as Vans began to design shoes with the specific demands of these sports in mind. The rest is history.

Vault by Vans and Bodega tap into the individualistic streak behind customized Vans uppers and modified bikes, with a new, collaborative pack, as two Vans icons, the Slip On and Sk8-Hi are outfitted with an all-over dice print pattern. The Bodega x Vault by Vans High Stakes pack celebrates the element of risk that comes with every roll of the dice, and the nerve to face down a sport where you put intact body parts, and not gambling chips on the table, a sport the cruel indifference of gravity measures winning and losing in terms of spectacular landings and painful physics lessons.

The Sk8-Hi emphasizes the BMX connection by rendering its signature side stripe as a bicycle chain. Besides dice being an eternally popular motif for pretty much any mode of wheeled transport, dice valve caps were an especially popular accessory amongst youth and adults alike, even to the point of “acquiring” them off of parked cars, which is actually another form of risk. The accompanying Bodega High Stakes capsule consists of apparel that doesn’t just look the “alternative” part, but is meant to stand up to the beating dished out by all those instances when the dice don’t roll your way.

Ultimately, the Bodega x Vault by Vans High Stakes pack and the Bodega High Stakes capsule, like BMX itself, aren’t sweating whether or not they tick all the algorithmic marketing boxes. They’re there for people who want to wear this stuff because they actually like it. Pretenders, please step aside.

If a size is not listed, it is sold out. 

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This product is considered a Quickstrike (QS). All QS, limited edition, and brand collaboration products are final sale