Vans’ OTW label, a platform for pinnacle product and creative experimentation, is just over a year old, but the sub-label has been prolific in that span. On top of reimagining beloved catalog models with far-flung material make-ups and even as full-blown offshoot silhouettes, it’s been a bustling collaborative hub. None have been more frequently spotted in the Vans OTW story to date than Sterling Ruby, multi-disciplinary artist and founder of fashion label S.R Studio LA CA.
Now entering his third collection with the California company, Ruby and SR Studio are surprisingly paring back the scope of their output, scaling down from a four-headed collection towards the end of 2024 for a leaner two pair capsule teeing off for Fall ’25. Atop the Vans Authentic 44 and Old Skool 36, unmodified from their core construction aside from the use of Vibram soles, the label utilizes trademark hi-vis tonality with eye-catching yellow and black palettes. Of course, it’s the patterning over top that really sells either shoe, a collision of tar-like blotches that seep from the heel to toe with spindly connections in between. To close both designs and break up the otherwise cohesive layouts, white-on-black laces stamp the S.R Studio LA CA name, a hallmark of all of their work with Vans so far.
