If you’re one of the old sneakerheads like myself, you get excited about releases of your favorite OG models and colorways from way before the adidas YEEZY era. I can easily say I was over the moon when I found out about the Vans x WTAPS ‘Bones’ collaboration earlier this year. WTAPS is a Japanese streetwear brand founded in 1997 and is a ‘younger brother’ to NEIGHBORHOOD, which some of you may know. These two have worked on quite a few occasions, but rarely did they release the Bones edition, which has been a holy grail of mine since forever. I can’t explain why, I just really dig the simplistic, yet cool design.
The previous Bones releases consisted of apparel and shoes (Chukka, Era, Sk8-Hi) in burgundy, black, navy and olive – all very much to my liking. This year’s release features Era, Slip-On (very limited) and Sk8-Hi in black and orange. After a bit of a struggle I managed to grab the orange Eras for myself. They fit true to size and the colors are very saturated and just pop so much. Stitching is of very good quality too. The only somewhat unexpected thing is the very shallow upper, i.e. it ends quite well below your ankles. Nevertheless, I’m still happy, as I managed to get my dream pair and I’m hoping the low-profile upper will actually increase the comfort of wearing.
I have checked a few sneaker marketplaces and the Vans x WTAPS ‘Bones’ do not go for much over retail price, so if you’re late to the party, you can still grab your pair for the low-low. Additionally, the apparel is still available in online stores, so you can get a matching tee or hoodie too!
