While done in seldom fashion, the blending of the Vans Sk8-Hi and Old Skool has most often been attributed to the hand of longtime Vans Vault collaborator Taka Hayashi. While a number of brand’s have already released looks at their rabbit inspired themes for the new year, Vans is harkening the DIY Hi VLT LX to celebrate the Lunar New Year in an exclusive release of the silhouette at Tokyo-based retailer BILLY’S.
Identical to the Design-It-Yourself notion of Hayashi’s past propositions, a myriad of boastful yet tonal textures, fabrics and finishes inspired by the Year of the Rabbit can be removed and applied to the smooth grey canvas base layer for a fully customizable look. Checkered pony hair, embroidered toe caps and fluffy white fur coupled with stitched vans patches lay claim to the upper in a boisterous finish, while the pair remains unchanged in its titular red sock liner and clad cream sole unit underfoot.
While we await the silhouette’s release this coming Sunday, January 1st, enjoy official images of the Vans DIY Hi VLT LX “Year of the Rabbit” below in the meantime.
In other news, check out the unreleased Nike star air zoom trail running shoe evolution “Cherry” sample.