As we’ve gotten used for the past several years, around this time Vans comes up with a new collection in collaboration with an old house name. If we had Star Wars in 2014 and the Disney one in 2015, now it’s time for Vans to partner with Nintendo, another emblematic name of the 80’s. For those who missed that era, Nintendo is a Japanese company that developed into a video game producer in the 70’s and not long after came up with some well-known games such as Mario, Legends of Zelda and Pokemon, to name a few. This is the first time the two households join into a project together and fans could not be happier. In 2011, Converse and Nintendo had a similar collaboration, with several limited editions being released in Japan.
The Vans Nintendo Shoes and Apparel collaboration is set to release in June 2016, featuring Vans Slip-Ons, Sk8, Authentic and Old Skool shoes customized with various Nintendo 8-bit characters.
Mario, the most popular character of Nintendo games, is the centerpiece of the Vans Nintendo collection, appearing surrounded by its friends and nemesis in mosaics on SK8 and Slip On and even on the Kingdom of Mushroom, depicted on a pair of Vans Authentic.
The iconic Nintendo NES controller, the essential part of the renowned game console that was named one of the greatest in the history, finds its place on a pair of Vans SK8 in a pattern that sits on a black background. Donkey Kong, the character of the game arcade with the same name released in 1981, is featured on a pair of Vans Authentic but also on the Mario’s two pairs, the slip-on and the SK8.
The Legend of Zelda , originally released in 1986, could not miss from the 2016 Vans Nintendo Shoes collection, scenes from the original game being depicted on a pair of Slip-Ons. Mario’s love interest, Princess Peach gets its own featured Vans Authentic, one that reminds us the most of the Japanese heritage of all these characters.
For those who want to show their love for the game in a more discrete way Vans created two pairs where the Tetris blocks replace the traditional stripe of the Skool and SK8 classic shoes.
All in all the Vans Nintendo Shoes and Apparel Collection is another exciting release that bring memories from our childhood and give the new generations a chance to connect with a real OG of video games, a Vans special edition that you don’t want to miss out on. Along with the shoes presented above t shirts and other apparel is set to be released, just as we’ve seen with the other series. If you are not sure about your Vans shoes size you can check out this size chart.
