Vans Dropped Curren Caples’ New Skate Shoe With a Palm Sp…

Vans took over the desert for its launch of pro skateboarder Curren Caples’ first signature skate shoe for the brand. In mid-May, the team at Vans invited the skate community and beyond to Palm Springs, where the Curren sneaker was prevalent throughout the three-day event, having its own display at the Saguaro Hotel, along with the debut of three billboards just outside Indio, California. The shoe comes in multiple colorways, including red/white and grey/dark brown, but it’s the optimized grip, protective Popcush™ insole, and Vulcanized Perfection durability that takes skate performance to another level.

One day ahead of the shoe’s debut, attendees got acquainted with Caples at the Saguaro, where framed Curren posters and branded decals decorated the lobby. Later in the evening, the Vans celebration continued at Palm Springs Surf Club for a Martini Masters surf showdown helmed by Caples. Skater and guitarist Ray Barbee strummed some tunes while surfers hit the wave pool, but the main event was the competition—which included Caples’ dad, Evan, trying to nail a perfect ten after a hearty dinner and even some drinks.

The final evening was more immersive as guests rode Jeeps through Coachella Valley’s Metate Ranch. Once attendees arrived at the secluded destination, the desert transformed into Vans’ oasis with a bar dedicated to Curren’s own fragrance, two makeshift skateboarding ramps beneath a craned chandelier, and a four-piece classical ensemble playing before a massive outdoor screen. The night was an exclusive watch party for Caples’ four-minute “95 percent done” skate video.

Between Vans’ Curren festivities, Complex had a chance to chat with the skater about his inaugural pro shoe, the fragrance ad-inspired campaign, and tapping legends like Geoff Rowley and Ray Barbee to come along for the ride.

Congratulations on the new collection. When did discussions begin for you to collaborate with Vans on your first pro shoe?
I think it started two years ago and I was actually at this hotel when it all came about. It’s actually really random. This is just by chance that we’re back at this hotel for the party and everything.

But I’m sure you wanted this for years now, right?
Yeah, I mean, it was definitely always something that I’ve [hoped for], having the opportunity to get a signature shoe. One of my best friends [Louie Lopez] has one, he rides for another big brand and we grew up together. He just came out with his second shoe this year and I’m coming out with my first shoe and it’s pretty special. We’ve known each other since we were seven years old.

What qualities did you want for your shoe to have and how did you want it to be set apart from other styles?
So there’s three types of Vans that I’ve always skated in throughout my whole career. I’m very particular with shoes that I like to skate in—I like a lot of board feel and really thin shoes and just stuff that just works well with my feet. I skated in slip-on checkerboard shoes forever, and that was my main shoe that I’ve always skated in, and I wanted something that felt like that but didn’t look like it.

There’s a few different styles embedded in the shoe. It’s like there’s a shoe called the Era that kind of comes back towards the heel and then the toe. I also wanted a shoe that just looked like classic Vans.

Would you say the collection is reflective of your personal style? How would you describe your style right now?
I would say I’m kind of plain, but maybe just clean. I wouldn’t say I’m fresh, but I’d say my style is just clean. I love button-ups and things like that. I wouldn’t want to say preppy, but it’s just T-shirts and pants.

Can you think of the earliest Vans style that you’ve worn?
I got a pair of them when I was eight years old and at this time I rode for a different shoe company. I had a black-on-black checkered [Vans], and those were my first shoes I wore. And I remember going to school in them and feeling like I was sneaking around because I did ride for a different shoe company. But I was so stoked wearing them—I thought they looked so cool on my feet.

So since you’ve had that experience, what does being a part of the Vans family mean to you?
I couldn’t really see myself anywhere else other than Vans. I feel like I’m just the classic California kind of guy, like surf and skate. If I didn’t ride for Vans, I would probably still wear them. I think it’s just a perfect fit. 

Now let’s talk about this trip because we’re all here for you. What experiences are you most looking forward to this week?
Going to this wave pool. It’s going to be pretty fun. I’ve grown up with a lot of surfers and some of my friends right now, we’re throwing a mini contest there and it’s called the Martini Masters. And so you have to have a minimum of two martinis, and then you’ve gotta get out there. 

So there’s only a certain amount of spots in the contest. I couldn’t really let all my friends be in it, so it’s gotten pretty muddy, who’s got the invite or not. Some of my friends are losing their minds but it’s gonna be really fun. Dirty martinis or maybe espresso martini might be the call—you need that energy. Dirty martinis, they kinda make you a little sleepy.

How often are you in Palm Springs and how would you compare it to being in L.A.?
Just leading up to this, I’ve been here quite a bit scouting, doing the commercial. But it’s not actually that far away from L.A., which is kind of nice. I’m also really used to driving, so I have a video part that’s coming out along with this shoe, but I’ve driven out here three times trying to get certain tricks.

Definitely out here is way more laid back. [You can] just fry yourself in the sun. But then before that, I never really came out here. I think I went to Coachella once, and other than that, I’ve never really experienced [being] out here, but it’s been good. We got really lucky this week. That it’s not so hot, because last weekend here was like 105, so this could have been a whole different trip. It’s actually funny, all of my friends have been calling this whole week Currchella, so we’ve got a whole experience.

Can you detail the vision behind the campaign? It’s kind of styled after a fragrance ad.
So it started off as a joke. I originally sent in Johnny Depp’s Sauvage ad for Dior. I’ve always thought that was just so funny and I didn’t really know what to do. I just feel, for skating, there’s been so many skate ads out there, actual proper tricks and stuff for the ad that I was like, “Let’s just remove skateboarding from it.” It’s more about myself and the shoe and in a way I feel like I didn’t need to prove myself in the ad and go and do something gnarly or whatever. It is more about having fun with it.

And giving homage to the other skateboarders that have been kind of mentors for me that are on Vans, as well. And just trying to make something that’s funny and something that hasn’t really been done in skateboarding, and also just poke fun at the fashion world a little bit.

How was it working with Gray Sorrenti? How did she compliment the vision
It was funny when she was coming into it, I was wondering how she felt about it because the way I’m poking fun at her kind whole world, but it kind of does make sense for her to do it. 

I mean, it’s definitely a cool honor for her to do it and thought she was, in a way, kind of sticking her neck out there. It kind of takes the seriousness out of stuff like that. She was super easy to work with and we had a lot of fun.

You wanted your mentors to be included as well, but why those specific people?
So most of the people in there have been with me at stages in my life. So the skater, Geoff Rowley, who narrated the whole thing was in there. So he pretty much is one of the reasons why I got on Vans in the first place. He put me on to his board company when I was 11 years old and then got me onto Vans.

Then the other skater, Anthony Van Engelen, I’m now on his skateboard company and we’ve traveled forever for Vans. And Ray Barbee has always just been a huge influence of mine. Growing up, the way I got into skateboarding, my parents kind of started me from ground up viewing it.

The first videos that I had were called the Bones Brigade videos, and so I started watching skateboarding from when anyone started watching skateboarding, no matter what decade. I think those came out in the ‘80s. And then it was like Ray Barbee, it was one of the few in there that were street skating and it was different from what Tony Hawk and all those other kinds of skaters were doing. He’s always been a huge influence to me and he’s also the coolest person, so I really wanted him involved.

And then the other skater, Omar Hassan, he actually taught me how to drop a vert ramp when I was six years old, and he’s just one of my favorite people. He’s just the most hilarious person ever, and I had to have him in it.

And then Steve Van Doren just tied it all together. He’s such a legend at Vans that with the storyline and everything, it was just pretty hilarious that it would be us swimming together around in the pool. I think leading up until the scene where me and Steve dive in the pool, I think everyone was probably like, “What’s going on? What is this?” You can’t really tell if it’s serious or not. And then once it gets to that, then you’re like, “Oh yeah, this is all a joke. We’re poking fun at all this.”

I love how it’s a passing of the torch.
I had my 16th birthday at the Van Skate Park in Orange County, and Steve was there and he was like, “Let me know whatever you want. One day, [if] you want a pair of clear shoes, we’ll get it done. We’ll figure out how to make it.” Steve’s always been so cool to me my whole life. It was an honor for him to have him in there, as well.