Artist Ade Okuboyejo Presents His Dobale x Vault by Vans “Forever Sunny in Ikoyi” Collection
Featuring the Era VLT LX, Slip-On VLT LX, Bold NI and matching apparel.
Vans has wasted no time in the new year to kick its collaborations category into high gear as it has racked up projects with the likes of Notre, SNEEZE and Palace. And for the month of February, the skate brand is beefing up its portfolio via a partnership with artist Ade Okuboyejo: the Dobale “Forever Sunny in Ikoyi” footwear and apparel collection. Through this assemblage, the Nigeran-American creative shines a light on his hometown, and expresses the sunny disposition of his home country, color palettes that draw from the rich foods and surrounding land and the Lagos State Flag.
“Working with Vans was a seamless process”, Okuboyejo tells HYPEBEAST. “From day one, they believed in my vision in how I see product as a means to tell a story, and they allowed me complete creative freedom to do just that. I was able to tell the story of my beautiful hometown of Lagos through my designs (silhouettes, prints, and colors), as well as through the visuals. Everything you see is me.”
On the footwear side, Okuboyejo delivers vivid takes of the Slip-On VLT LX, Era VLT LX and the Bold NI — three of the Anaheim skate imprint’s staple silhouettes. To go along with the footwear, eight apparel pieces are included in the collection, all of which are styled with colorful schemes and graphic prints inspired by African hand-painted signs and local iconography.
“They are all my favorite because they tell the story of Ikoyi, but if I have to pick two pieces that are most inspired by my personal style, it would be the Ikoyi Bold Ni sneaker and the Efo Woven Camp shirt”, he says when speaking on his favored items. “The Bold Ni has always been a favorite sneaker of mine because it is a true classic. Taking this staple and adding colors inspired by the Lagos flag capture the essence of the entire collection. The silhouette of the Efo Woven Shirt has been my spring go-to the past couple of years, so it was a no-brainier adding one to the collection. The abstract camouflage print is inspired by the traditional Efo riro spinach stew.”
Peep a closer look at the full range above, and note that the Vault by Vans x Dobale “Forever Sunny in Ikoyi” collection is launching on February 12 via select Vault by Vans retailers.
In other news, Vans recently announced a Skate Half Cab ’92 release.
