They may not be made of vibranium, but Vans’ newest shoes also hail from Wakanda.
Marvel and Vans have teamed for an “Off the Wall” superhero collection of shoes, accessories and apparel launching Friday. The Avengers, Black Panther, Deadpool, Iron Man and Hulk all make cameos on the 70-plus styles. Additionally, customers will be able to create their own Vans x Marvel designs online.
The Vans x Marvel Old Skool shoe designs take cues from many of the Disney-adapted comics. A Captain America style has a blue toe-box and shield graphic, a silver leather side stripe pays tribute to Thor and Hulk’s green and purple tones are manifested on an outsole on another style.
Black Panther gets its moment in an allover print for shoes, tees, hats, sandals and socks (Black Widow and Spider-Man prints are also options). T’Challa is represented in a dedicated capsule with the Black Panther Sk8-Hi, inspired by the king’s vibranium suit, and the vintage-themed Torrey jacket with classic comicbook art. Hulk and Spider-Man get their own capsule collections, too.
The Marvel Shop offers its own branded tees, bedding and shoes, including Black Panther 990v4 Sneakers for Men by New Balance.
After Marvel faced a number of PR blunders last year, the release of Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther in February redeemed the brand at the box office with more than $1.3 billion grossed worldwide to date. Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp is set to bow July 6.
