OTW by Vans and HommeGirls celebrate skate culture in new collection Between checks and a new version of the mid-top Sk8-Mid
OTW by Vans, the line launched in 2023 that celebrates skate culture alongside the most influential innovators in art, design, music, and entertainment, presents a new collection created in collaboration with HommeGirls. OTW by Vans teamed up with the cult independent fashion brand and magazine inspired by menswear to uniquely reinterpret essentials and footwear with a contemporary twist. The result is a six-piece collection that, as Thakoon Panichgul, founder of HommeGirls, notes, represents the perfect match between the two brands: "We wanted to draw from both brands' core values, which speak of originality and attitude. The collection plays with classics from Vans and HommeGirls, like the OTW Sk8-Mid 83 with an extra-long tongue and our original HommeGirls boxers with Vans' iconic checkerboard pattern."
The New Sk8-Mid 83
Like the entire collection, the advertising campaign is shot in black and white. Flo Arnold did styling, while Grace Ahlbom photographed surfer, skater, and model Devyn Garcia on the streets of New York City, alongside Vans skate team riders Etienne Gagne and Stafhon Boca. Jen Brill, creative director of HommeGirls, explained choosing Ahlbom and the stunning Devyn Garcia for their experience in both fashion and skate worlds: "For this collaboration, the priority was to focus on the intersection between skate and style. Grace Ahlbom, who has created incredible work in fashion, also has deep roots in skate reportage photography. She occupies this unique space combining both worlds, just like the OTW by Vans x HommeGirls collection; she was our top choice for creating these images. She's one of our favorite contributors to the magazine. Devyn Garcia, on the other hand, is someone we've wanted to work with for a long time, and this collaboration was the perfect opportunity. She grew up surfing and skating and is now a top model. She embodies the ultimate HommeGirl spirit."
