Vans Old Skool Patent Leather Pack Release Date

Vans has gotten more experimental in reinterpreting its slate of classic sneakers over the past two years, and the approach is taking yet another new turn with a run of Old Skools with a candy-like gloss.

The Vans Old Skool “Harajuku Pack” gives the nearly 50-year-old sneaker patent leather construction in two colorways for a capsule named after Tokyo’s most fashionable neighborhood. One iteration leans even further into candy territory with a tonal blue treatment with yellow Jazz Stripe, while the other brings in an earth tone through an olive base with overlays in maroon and bright red.

Patent leather never really disappears in sneakers, but it’s starting to make a comeback in the bright colors that were a fixture of the 2000s on models including the Air Force 1 Low and the Bape Sta derived from it. A new trio of Air Force 1 Lows that fit the bill just leaked over the and are due for a release during the summer season, while Lil Yachty’s last AF1 release from last year had the same idea.

Back within Vans, the Old Skool’s pearlized series will soon expand with new colorways, and recent releases have included a version with turquoise studs and a Patta collaboration. Last year’s “Souvenir” Chanel bag-inspired edition was also one of the more buzzed about sneakers of the year.

The Vans Old Skool “Harajuku Pack” has already released through Sneaker Politics, where some sizes of the blue pair have already sold out, and will likely follow soon through other channels. Pricing is set at $110.