Vans are the tabula rasa of the footwear game.
Checkerboard, Snoopy, Star Wars … Just name a design theme. It’ll probably vibe well with a pair of classic slip-ons.
That’s proving true and then some with artist Charlene Holy Bear’s custom beaded Vans silhouettes, a delightfully zany and creative take on the familiar summer kicks.
Holy Bear made her first pair four years ago — trampolining off an innocent observation that Vans are similar to moccasins — and turned years of Lakota beading expertise into styling some unique sneaks for her son. Time passed, she started posting pics, people noticed, and social media handled the rest.
Holy Bear beads each shoe entirely by herself, so orders can take nearly two weeks to complete. Pricing is on request, and varies based on what you’re looking for in terms of design and materials used. But what you get in return is a bona vide statement piece — the Stradivarius of skating shoes, if you will.
Check out her site for more info. (And maybe plan on sitting out the next couple rounds of shoe shoppin’.)
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