18 East Remakes the Vans Half Cab in Three Heritage-Inspired Colorways
Recreating the original model that inspired 18 East creative director Antonio Ciongoli to purchase his first skateboard.
After two years of development, New York imprint 18 East has revealed its first-ever collaboration with Vans: an updated take on the classic Half Cab silhouette in three colorways. For the partnership, the nature-inspired label has injected its signature utilitarian codes into the famous skating sneaker, producing an exact replica of the silhouette that first introduced 18 East creative director Antonio Ciongoli to skating.
“When I was 11 years old, I was sitting outside my house, when this local skater named Packy McGurn burned into my driveway in cargo shorts and Half Cabs,” Ciongoli said in a statement. “He had come over to work on a school project with my sister – who was five years older than me – and he had just gotten the old circle Cab dragon logo tattooed on his calf about a half hour prior.”
He continued, “When they were done he offered to let me try his board. Up until that point I had never even thought about skating, but the very next day I went downtown to the local skate shop, The B-Side, where Packy worked, and he picked out my whole first setup for me.”
The 18 East Half Cab, which arrives in “Black/Navy,” “Ecru/Off-white” and “Espresso/Latte” colorways, features heritage details, including a dense black tongue, natural topstitching, an ollie toe cap, a matte white outsole with a foxing stripe and the original non-removable insole. Additionally, a suede Half Cab label references 18 East’s natural dyeing processes, and a debossed suede panel, located behind the label, nods to the intricate pattern on the brand’s staple Gorecki cargo pants.
Notably, each pair of the 18 East Half Cabs will arrive with a Polaroid sticker of Vermont DJ Andy “A-Dog” Williams, who served as the collaboration’s muse. The first 100 pairs will also come with a cassette of SLOW FIDELITY SESSIONS vol. 1, which was made by DJ Crusty Cuts and features ’90s tracks from iconic skate videos.
The 18 East Half Cab will be available to shop on 18 East’s webstore and in its Elizabeth St. Studio on October 19. Take a closer look at the design in the gallery above.
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