DEFCON's Berto Liechty Talks About Resellers and Its Latest Vans Collaboration

DEFCON’s Berto Liechty has spoke to Supply Store about the latest collaboration with Vans. The origins of the collaborations, which we showcased a few days ago, is spoken about, as well as the burgeoning resale market and other topics. Liechty also speaks on how to properly do camo on a sneaker, and why other releases look like “dog sh*t.” Check out excerpts below, and read the full interview at Supply Store.

How the Collaboration Started:

“DEFCON started out as a few bros who would help each other out with work projects because we needed each other’s skills and support in order to pull it off and to compete with well established alternates be it photography, video, or design work. This is how we got well rounded at it all and would later be beneficial because we could do it all in house at a pretty high level. After working with Vans to create Syndicate, we evolved into DEFCON GROUP, allowing us to brand our work. At some point I think it just made sense for Vans and DEFCON to partner on a project from the outside in as opposed to the inside out.”

Why the Brand Works with Camouflage:

“The original inspiration for the DEFCON Vans comes from camouflage being used completely wrong by many brands and designers. For example shoes have a small canvas so designers tend to feel the need to shrink the camouflage pattern in order to get more pattern on the shoe. The reason that looks like dog shit is because the pattern becomes unfamiliar to our eyes when shrunk down, but more importantly the camouflage is ineffective in its original intentions and should be used in the way it was designed and tested. You don’t see a piece of kit like a magazine or communications pouch that is only 4 inches wide shrinking the camo pattern to fit the application.”

Dealing With the Resale Market:

“We never anticipated the DEFCON projects to become cult items with insane aftermarket prices. We were at best just stoked to get the product right and hopefully put some shoes on the right people. After that it just kept getting crazier. It was just like that old days when a few true heads were up on something and the sleepers made all the noise. It just never seemed to stop, people buying and selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay and shitty bootlegs going for the same price. We realized at some point that we were speaking to a larger audience than we initially thought. We put a lot of hard work into the product and Vans puts up with a lot of our shit to get it right. We’re just stoked and the support is greatly appreciated.”