Vans and Bodega rekindle their collaborative relationship to pay tribute to endless creative possibilities and DIY spirit represented by VHS with the Blank Tapes capsule collection.

A custom designed, shrink-wrapped, blank tape packaging style box, complete with adhesive labels (so you can tell your skate videos from the copy of The Day After that your parents recorded off of the TV) houses the eternally in-style Authentic silhouette. This fixture of skate culture has been programmed to record the VHS vision, with a suede/nylon upper adorned with blank VHS cassette labeling, and a translucent plastic tongue that recalls the cassette’s magnetic tape spool. The VHS labeling motif continues onto the shoe’s midsole, while the outsole the features an RGB color model. An extra detail for VHS connoisseurs is provided by the footbed, which sports a holographic Bodega print, in the style of anti-pirating security stickers.

VHS culture isn’t just about looking backwards though. It’s preserving the maverick energy committed to countless blank tapes for the contemporary world, rather than historical reenactment for its own sake. To that end, Vans have outfitted the classic style of the Authentic with, new ComfyCush foam. The additional arch support and one-piece interior bring a new dimension of comfort to the Authentic’s familiar exterior.

Naturally, no one who hops on the VHS train is ever likely to decide they’re all set with just the one tape, so a hoodie and long sleeve t-shirt bearing an RGB Bodega Vision logo on the front and anti-piracy warning on the back, and blank VHS cassette packaging graphic skate decks round out the Blank Tapes collection. Because VHS is more than a chunk of plastic, it’s a state of mind.

• Textile and leather upper 
• Rubber outsole 
• Printed detailing