GALLERY DEPT. & VANS QUIETLY DROPPED A PROPER SNEAKER COLLAB

First Gallery Dept. was shutting down, then founder Josué Thomas was opening a resort, of sorts, then Gallery Dept. was actually not closing and was actually opening a new store in Miami. Which is it?!?!

Well, the only certainty is that Gallery Dept. ain't going nowhere, because it's finally getting its first sneaker collaboration. Together with Vans, Gallery Dept. is dropping an OG Old Skool LX that's light on subtlety and heavy on deconstruction.

First previewed on Instagram by Thomas himself, Gallery Dept.'s Vans collab slightly tweak the Old Skool's inherent details, color-blocking the toecaps, fuzzing the Jazz Stripe, scuffing the midsole, and stitching Gallery Dept.'s "ART THAT KILLS" mantra on the heels.

Newspaper-like print on the uppers, branded laces and midsoles is inspired by "punk show flyers," according to the press release, made especially clear by the graphic reference to hardcore band Earth Crisis. It affects a DIY air that's Gallery Dept. through and through.

Gallery Dept.'s Vans Old Skool launches at its Miami and Los Angeles flagship stores on May 12 and Gallery Dept.'s website May 13 for $150, making this one of the most affordable Gallery Dept. drops ever, probably.

Vault by Vans and Vans' website will follow the launch by stocking the sneakers on May 19.

Gallery Dept.'s Vans collab was first seen in a leaked photo published on social media in January 2023. Speculation suggested that the shoes were to release in May 2023, which clearly ended up being accurate.

At the time, Thomas reposted Highsnobiety's Instagram post about the sneakers, as if to confirm the news.

Also worth noting: though I'm referring to these Vans as Gallery Dept.'s first proper sneaker collaboration, the brand did take on some Lanvin shoes as part of a bigger collection. Gallery Dept.'s Vans shoes, meanwhile, are all its own.