Vans partners with Ernest to create first-ever skatable cardboard sneake

Footwear and apparel brand Vans has partnered with Ernest Packaging Solutions to create the unthinkable - the first-ever skatable sneaker made from cardboard. Developed as part of Ernest’s Cardboard Chaos series, the sneaker pays homage to Vans’ skate culture roots, innovative drive, and authentic expression.

Vans sneakers have been favored by skateboarders around the world since 1966. In 1976, skater Tony Alva started collaborating with the brand to create sneakers strong enough to endure the demands of skateboarding, with his unique skating style inspiring the brand’s “Off the Wall” tagline. Close to five decades later, Vans has partnered with Alva once more with Steve Van Doren to develop the first-ever skate shoe made from paper.

Ernest Packaging created a durable and flexible version of Vans’ iconic checkerboard pattern outer fabric using its own cardboard materials, which Alva, Van Doren, and skate legend Christian Hosoi vigorously tested. The cardboard upper overcame each production challenge, from extreme heat curing at 275° to high-pressure processing at 20 PSI.

“Collaborating with Steve was a really special thing for me,” said Tim Wilson, President of Ernest Packaging, in a statement. “As a California kid myself, I know just how iconic the Vans shoes are. And the fact that we got to build one together was just awesome.”

The cardboard sneaker builds on a growing list of innovation projects from the Ernest Cardboard series, which first began in 2014, including the first cardboard snowboard, a cardboard skateboard for Tony Hawk, a surfboard, a wakeboard, and more.

“It all came together. We made a custom pair of cardboard Vans shoes with Steve Van Doren, with professional skateboarders, with all these amazing people, and, I mean, there are just no words,” said David Lee, host of Cardboard Series produced by Signal Productions and Liquid Agency, in a statement. “It’s too cool.”

News regarding the collaboration comes as Vans continues a broad refresh of its store network as part of a major retail transformation to help turn around declining sales.