Art in Progress was developed as part of a wider exploration into new stories for the Vans Authentic. The concept looked at the relationship between skateboarding and art, two cultures built around experimentation, influence and the idea that the process is never really finished.

I wanted the shoe itself to feel like a canvas caught mid-creation. Heavy canvas was treated with a greased coating to create a tactile, unfinished surface, paired with PU-coated laces and layers of white paint-effect detailing across the marshmallow sidewall. Rather than making the shoe feel pristine, the materials celebrated marks, layers and imperfections as evidence of the creative process.

The concept was presented through the wider Authentic sales zine alongside projects such as Nocturnal. With only one sampling round available, we weren’t able to fully resolve the execution in time for production, but the project remained an important part of the broader creative exploration around the Authentic.