Vans X Lotties Limited Ed Collection To Promote Local Skate Shops

Local skate shops are the backbone of the skating community- a place to hang, meet other skaters, get tips and high-quality info abut hardware/ apparel, be safe and discover. Vans has teamed up with Lotties in L.A. to raise the hype for local shops with the new Vans x Lotties limited edition collection.

Sk8-Low Pro LTD

In Support of Skateboarding and Core Skate Shops, Vans Collaborates with Los Angeles’ Lotties Skate Shop

Vans taps the artistic mind of Los Angeles’ Lotties Skate Shop Owner Mike Gigliotti for this collection, underscoring the importance of the independent skate shop.

Hitting skate shops worldwide July 23

Los Angeles’ Lotties Skate Shop, and its owner Mike Gigliotti, have taken us back to a place where the only thing in the world that matters is skateboarding. Mike’s love for skating, his friends, his shop, art, and giving the youth something positive, are just some of the many reasons why Vans is excited to unveil the new Vans x Lotties collection, available at select skate shops worldwide July 23.

Designed from Mike’s point of view, and featuring an assortment of Pro Classic silhouettes and graphic tees, this collection underscores the enduring importance of skate shops within our communities —and why it’s worth fighting to preserve them as safe havens for youth, where bonds are forged, values instilled and – more often than not—shit is talked. Lotties stands for all those principles as a community hub, above all else serving as an outlet for creative self-expression. Vans recently spent some time with Mike at the shop to understand what inspires him, reflected in a short film highlighting what makes Lotties so special.

“We are so lucky to have such rad locals at Lotties— kids who love and appreciate the shop just as much as we love and appreciate them,” Mike said. “My favorite part of this entire project is seeing the kids get stoked.”

The limited-edition collection includes the Sk8-Hi Pro LTD in blue/black featuring faded zine art in the quarter, pin-line flames on the sole, and a tonal “Grip Tape is $5 Dipshit” scribbled on the Sidestripe — a Lotties’ signature and a sentiment that every skateshop employee can relate to, Mike adds. “The shoe reminded me of old Ray Barbee footage,” he said, and combines classic colors with Lotties art to arrive at a truly unique aesthetic.

His vision comes to life across the Era Pro LTD in red/military, based on a pair of Vans from the ‘80s, as well as the Sk8-Low Pro LTD in Lotties black/marshmallow featuring Mike’s melting monster art in the quarters. All three shoes are upgraded with PopCush technology, which snaps back and won’t pack, providing impact protection and custom energy return, as well as DURACAP reinforced underlays to protect high-wear areas and prolong the life of the shoe. In addition, each shoe features tonal Lotties logos debossed in the heel counters and color illustrations on the sockliners. The shoes come in a custom box with all-over zine artwork and Vans x Lotties logos.

The Vans x Lotties classic SS tee in black boldly features the collaboration logo on the chest and a Lotties collage complete with flames, skulls, and famed slogan, “Grip Tape is $5, Dipshit” printed on the back. A classic LS tee in white is emblazoned with a different Vans x Lotties logo on the chest, and familiar black and white doodles of cobwebs, barking dogs, flames, and flowers on the back.

A custom zine pulls this collection’s unique art all together, and includes drawings, photos and other mementos that represent Lotties and the way of life at the shop.

Vans x Lotties launches at select Pro Skate retailers on July 23. For more information, visit Vans.eu/skate.