Vans, the global icon of creative expression, presents “These Projects Are Ads for Creativity”, an artist-first brand campaign that showcases creativity in its purest form by enabling Vans’ family of creatives to go out and make things – drawings, sculptures, music videos, custom shoes, digital animations, and much more.
In celebration of International Women’s Month, Vans goes beyond creating a conventional ad campaign and instead, has committed traditional ad resources to empower five women-identifying creatives, fueling their DIY spirit of making art that’s truly their own.
“These Projects Are Ads for Creativity” enables creativity and expression by showcasing the unique craftsmanship of art, objects and ephemera, artfully designed by a talented roster of independent artists from around the world. Featured in the campaign is a diverse community of women, whose creative ambitions are proof points of empowerment and equity in the creative space. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, women have accounted for 55% of the job loss seen in the U.S. The new campaign allows Vans to showcase the work of women-identifying creators, uplifting their stories in an era where artists’ opportunities have been limited. Merging themes of ingenuity, personal identity and passion for DIY craft, these artists breathe much needed life and spirit into the creative zeitgeist, including Rewina Beshue,Annabell Lee, Eloise Dorr, Lalese Stamps, Gaudmother and more.
Highlighting work such as San Francisco-based Beshue’s colorful paintings that explore themes of time, space and reality, Annabell Lee’s vibrant painted pillows that parallel her bold personality, Eloise Dorr’s painted skateboards inspired by her favorite south London skate spots, Lalese Stamp’s one-of-a-kind ceramic vases and Gaudmother’s eccentric, statement making handmade rugs – the new campaign conveys a breadth of creative interpretations representative of Vans’ diverse community.
“Instead of creating advertising that talks about creativity, we wanted to use this campaign as a vehicle to showcase true, physical creativity in all of its forms. So we simply enabled creatives all over the world to make things,” said Rob Teague, Vans global executive creative director. “Drawings, paintings, music, sculptures, video edits, skate spots, crazy animations, weird surfboards, and things we didn’t expect. In place of traditional ads, we as a brand wanted to get out of the way and support a diverse range of people, and their different creative outputs. That’s what Vans is all about – to not just talk about creative expression, but to actively champion it through our products, platforms and campaigns.”
This ongoing creative journey will live on the Vans website all year long, cultivating a digital hub of global projects that will uplift various artist stories and inspire fans to create their own version of creativity in its purest form. See the full campaign at vans.com/offthewall. To share your own story and join the conversation with Vans, use #OffTheWall on social media.
About Vans
Vans®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand. Vans® authentic collections are sold in 97 countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors, and international offices. Vans® has over 2,000 retail locations globally including owned, concession and partnership doors. The Vans® brand promotes creative self-expression in youth culture across action sports, art, music and street culture and delivers progressive platforms such as the Vans Checkerboard Day, Vans Park Series, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®,Vans Custom Culture, and Vans’ cultural hub and international music venue, House of Vans.
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