As the original action sports brand and icon of creative expression, Vans is commited to uplifting trailblazers who embody the “Off The Wall” spirit. This season, Vans partnered with team rider, musician, and artist Cher Strauberry to infuse her fun, edgy style into the Skate Classics collection and an apparel pack to match.
Cher has made massive waves in skateboarding as an influencer in the queer skate community. Her role within San Francisco-based Unity Skate, as well as helping found queer skateboarding brand, Glue Skateboards, has helped grow inclusivity within the space. This sentiment shines through in the latest short film, Vans Skateboarding Presents: Cher Strauberry, exploring how Cher arrived where she is today. The Vans collection speaks to Cher’s unique style, pairing her design aesthetic with Skate Classics’ reinforced materials and upgraded construction to take Cher’s skating even further, providing added durability and energy-return cushioning for longer skate sessions.
“I’m beyond excited to get to play with re-designing some of my favorite pairs of Vans,” Cher said. “My inspiration for the collection really came from my relationship to clothes; I never really liked shopping or spending lots of time in a store. Most of my favorite pieces came from someone gifting me their old clothes. The cheetah print came from my friend Wavvie, who gave me my first skirt which was—you guessed it— all cheetah print. When clothes have meaning behind them, they’re more like armor than just a shirt.”
An apparel pack ties back to Cher’s footwear, including a black denim jacket with a faux fur cheetah collar, as well as an all-over cheetah print skirt and bralette featuring her signature embroidered strawberry graphic, and a black boxy tee with cheetah print around the sleeves with a center chest Vans logo and embroidered strawberry graphic.
Skateboarder, musician and artist Cher Strauberry epitomizes the newly revived Embarcadero skate scene in San Francisco. As a transwoman, she is a true pioneer within skateboarding. Off the board, Cher is the lead singer of the lo-fi punk band Twompsax, and the publisher of her zine, diddlysquat.
The Skate Classics by Cher Strauberry collection is now available at Vans Skate retailers and Vans.eu/Skate.
