Featuring monogram checkerboards and souvenir-style prints, the new collection applies a high-fashion lens to the classic skate shoe.
Summary
- Valentino creative director Alessandro Michele has released a collection with Vans, reimagining the classic Authentic low-top sneaker.
- The footwear features several patterns, including monogram checkerboards, polka dots, and a “Le Chat de la Maison” motif.
- First seen at the Fall/Winter ’2025 show, the six-style collection is priced at $490 USD and is available now.
The sneakers that appeared with Alessandro Michele’s layered looks for Valentino’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection are now available. The project is a collaboration with Vans, applying a couture point of view to the footwear brand’s low-top Authentic model. The appearance of the skate shoe on the runway, paired with everything from trousers to structured outerwear, suggested that a good sneaker can go with nearly anything.
For the collection, Michele poses a question in an official statement: “What happens when the unexpected bursts into our lives? Which sensations arise when what seemed solid dissolves under the blows of forces beyond our control?” His stated result is “a dreamlike and surreal fresco where nature explodes, cracking the neat surface of architectures and technologies that surround us.” Water running through the campaign imagery is meant to symbolize a more fluid consciousness.
The collaboration consists of six styles for men and women. The designs keep the original canvas uppers while adding new technicolor prints. One version introduces a monogram checkerboard pattern in green with palm tree silhouettes on the toe box, while another variant comes in full-cover black and red. A different style uses a black and white checker print as a base for bold red polka dots. Other graphics include an “I Love Valentino x Vans” print, which recalls souvenir typography, and a special Valentino “Le Chat de la Maison” motif.
The Valentino Garavani and Vans Authentic is available now on the Valentino webstore for $490 USD. It will be sold in Valentino boutiques worldwide, on Vans.com, and at the Vans flagship store in London starting September 19.
