The Vans Love Story...

Young, broke, ambitious ... and deeply in love with Vans! 

If shoes can survive distance, maybe love can too!

What do you say when a pair of shoes gives you hope?
Hope in life. Hope in love. Hope in the journey that lies bare ahead, not knowing what waits to be discovered.

From mile to mile, city to city, the soul becomes as tough as the rubber beneath your feet — eager to last forever.

The strength of a sole!

When I think of Vans, I remember a time in my life when I started a finance club with my friends just so I could afford my first pair. To me, the Old Skool edition was an attestation to timelessness. The ability to fit in everywhere, no matter the occasion. Showing up bold. Showing up confident. Showing up different.

In a world where ordinary people become extraordinary through flair, attitude, and the commitment to comfort, Vans always felt like more than just shoes to me. They felt like identity.

Proof that you can wear Vans with anything!

Oh, and here lies my little love story.

I remember seeing him for the first time and immediately looking at his feet.
Lol. He was bouncing around in formal shoes and I thought to myself, what did I get myself into?

But as time went by and we started getting to know each other, he finally revealed his secret:

He was in love with Vans.

That was the moment I let my guard down because I thought, damn… he might actually have potential.

Still, I waited to see.

And every single day after that, he proved himself right.

With every outfit he wore and every step he took to come see me in those maroon Vans, he remained intentional. Never complaining about the distance. Never letting them get dirty. Always arriving with the same quiet loyalty stitched into those shoes.

I knew I had to hold him close.
As close and carefully as the unique bows he tied into every pair he owned.

As the years passed, I watched the colours begin to fade from his favourite pair. Time was catching up with them. But like every loyal lover, he preserved them in his own special way.

He wore those Vans everywhere.

He wore them running.
He wore them to class.
He wore them during his teaching practical's.
He wore them to church.

The shoes that ushered him into this city!

And whenever we stayed up late at night together, he would take them off and leave them in our sight like they, too, deserved rest after carrying him through the world.

Sometimes when we spoke about his home, he would tell me:

"These are the shoes that ushered me into this city."

And I would look into his eyes and think:

Damn right. These are also the shoes that ushered you into my heart.

Maybe that’s why our love made sense.
Because we both understood what it meant to hold onto something that carried you through life.

We tied our love together the same way we tied our shoelaces — tightly, intentionally, making sure we reached every destination with no hesitation.

Years later, when he moved back home and after almost a year without seeing him, I sent him a white pair of Vans. A wish. A prayer that all his paths would remain bright.

And like the intuitive lover he has always been, he took a picture with every step leading toward the sun.

The sun will rise again!

Oh, brighter days come soon, I prayed unto God.

I often wonder what the future looks like.
And when those days finally come, I hope they find us both wearing our favourite pairs of Vans.

Our Vans Love Story.

I pray that you are okay.
I am sending you the best of my love.

Zi.