Screw Crocs—if you’re trying to look fly while working at the restaurant, you better upgrade your footwear stat. Cue Vans’ six-piece kitchen-shoe collaboration with Los Angeles chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo. “This project is a dream come true; both Vin and I grew up wearing and loving Vans,” says Jon Shook in a release. “And now there are Vans made for the kitchen? We are truly stoked.” The shoes will be worn by Jon, Vinny, and their staff members at their restaurants Animal, Son of a Gun, and Jon & Vinny’s in Los Angeles.
The Shook and Dotolo-inspired line includes special colorways of the Vans Authentic, Classic Slip-On, Old Skool, and Sk8-Hi Reissue. According to Vans, the kitchen-shoe line was designed “to address the needs of the professional kitchen and [to enable] these culinary creators to put their best foot forward in their creative environment.” Ok, that’s a bit vague. What specifically about the shoes makes them great for the kitchen? According to Vans, “Durable water-resistant coating allows liquids to slide off shoe surfaces while upgraded cushioning provides arch support during long periods of standing.”
We asked Solecollector.com editor Brendan Dunne to weigh in on the J&V Vans. He says,
This isn’t Vans’ first foray into kitchen shoe design. In 2014, the company collaborated with No. 7 chef Tyler Kord to tweak the Classic Slip-On for extreme professional kitchen punishment. Next up: Nike collaborates with Roy Choi on the kitchen-appropriate version of Flyknit Racers #InOurDreams.
Take a look at the entire six-piece collection below.