Piet Parra Turns the Vans Old Skool Into a Moving Canvas

Piet Parra has always treated sneakers less like products and more like canvases in motion. His return to Vans feels less like a collaboration reboot and more like a continuation of a visual language that’s been quietly evolving for over a decade. For 2026, that language finds its latest form on the Vans OTW Old Skool 36 — a silhouette already primed for experimentation, now fully submerged in Parra’s unmistakable world.

The Old Skool doesn’t just wear Parra’s colors here — it bends to them. Traditional panel lines dissolve into layered, wave-like suede overlays that ripple across the sidewalls, effectively swallowing the iconic Vans SideStripe and reintroducing it as something organic and fluid. It’s a move that feels intentional rather than disruptive, trading rigid branding for motion and rhythm.

Color does much of the storytelling. Deep blues and teals anchor the upper, while hits of hot pink and coral crash through like sudden bursts of heat. The contrast feels playful yet deliberate, echoing Parra’s long-standing fascination with tension—calm versus chaos, water versus fire, structure versus spontaneity. Even up close, the shoe resists symmetry, with overlapping shapes and irregular edges that reward a second look.

The collaboration’s attention to detail carries through beyond the shoe itself. A co-branded box wrapped in Parra’s signature warped linework reinforces the idea that this isn’t just a colorway, but a complete visual statement. It also quietly nods back to earlier Parra x Vans moments, particularly the Half Cab collaborations, without leaning too hard on nostalgia.

With the OTW Old Skool 36 already enjoying a resurgence through experimental treatments and premium reworks, this Parra edition feels well-timed. It doesn’t chase trends or hype cycles — it simply reminds everyone why Parra’s work endures in the first place.

The Parra x Vans OTW Old Skool 36 is set to release on January 22, 2026, priced at $130. Expect pairs to land via select retailers and Vans channels as raffle details begin to surface.