You Missed it: The Launch Of The AVE 2.0 At Vans DTLA
Photography by Daniel Hare
Skateboarding, long grinds, history, beverages: what more could one ask for in a shoe launch?
Not just any shoe launch, however. This was the launch of the Vans AVE 2.0, a shoe guaranteed to make you skate better (not necessarily guaranteed, if you suck, you suck). Atiba and Ben on the decks providing sounds as a social lubricant, particularly affective when combined with the liquid social lubricant: alcohol, which was also not in short supply. In addition to the standard music and bevs, we were treated to insight via a panel discussion wherein AVE was particularly articulate, and we were fortunate to be in the same room as he and his illustrious shoe-model history which surrounded us in glass cases (rightfully so), allowing one to see the progression of time and technology.
Outside and next door, Vans had a carpark locked down with a bunch of obstacles too scary for us to skate, instead being skated by people who make us too insecure to skate anyway.
We go to a lot of launches and parties and after a while, things tend to blend together. What made this remarkable was the electricity - the palpable sense of something great unfolding. The excitement you get when you land a trick or meet your hero or buy a pair of pants that you know your friends will be jealous of. It was a night of optimism and of breakthrough, and as this AVE gallery begins its tour, night one of many more to come. Congrats, AVE and Vans. Love you.
