Photographer Ray Barbee Unites Vault by Vans and Leica Camera for Limited-Edition Collection
Sharing an appreciation for creativity, this collaboration includes footwear, apparel, a camera, and more.
Three iconic partners– Vans, photographer Ray Barbee and Leica– are teaming up to introduce a collaborative capsule and a limited-edition camera. Inspired by Barbee’s path as a skateboarder-turned-artist, Vault by Vans is applying the Vans pro athlete’s lens to its footwear and apparel. Titled the “Capturing the Journey” collection, the pieces communicate the core messages that drive Barbee’s creative practice and passion for his craft. To help cultivate this sense of creativity in others, the three partners are also created a limited-edition Leica D-Lux 7 Vans x Ray Barbee. The camera is covered in Vans’ iconic checkerboard pattern and plate of the camera includes Barbee’s signature.
Similar to Ernst Leitz, the influential photographer who founded Leica in 1869, Barbee is also an artist who approaches high-quality photography with an extremely personal touch. Barbee’s influence on the worlds of skateboarding and photography in the ’90s and 00’s is used as a reference for the collection’s color palette, which includes grungey, ’90s colors like brown, dark red and teal. The iconic minimalist Leica logo is captured on the Vans footwear as printed, raised red dots on the sole and as red top eyelets and lace aglets.
Sitting at the intersection of Vans’ signature skate style and Leica’s sophisticated photography aesthetic, keep an eye out for more creative releases from this collaboration that explore the perspective of Ray Barbee. The “Capturing the Journey” collection will be available online and at select Vault by Vans retailers starting on November 19. For more information or to locate where to purchase, visit The Drop List, a calendar for the most exclusive drops from Vans.
