Keith Herron has been designing since he started his brand Advisry at just 13 years old. He began creating streetwear silhouettes — t-shirts, hats, hoodies, screen printed pieces — but he now maintains that he doesn’t want to be boxed into any one specific category. Whether through knitwear or avant-garde evening wear, his goal is to pave a pathway for other young Black designers, spurring an essence of accessibility that he did not feel he had growing up.
Similarly, visual artist and skater Ajani Russell expresses their personality boldly and authentically through their colorful paintings and nostalgic style. The multi-hyphenate approaches all of their endeavors — whether it may be ceramics, skating, writing, or acting — with a fearless attitude that echoes Vans’ commitment to radical creativity. Both Herron and Russell embody Vans’ Off the Wall mentality, being effortlessly authentic by pushing fashion forward in their own ways. The two also gravitate toward retro styles and trends, incorporating them into more contemporary ensembles in the same way that Vans brings together the past and the present through the Old Meets Knu campaign.@hypebeast Advisry founder Keith Herron styles the @Vans Knu Skool using pieces from his brand’s latest collection with an elevated, streetwear-inspired look. #sponsored♬ original sound – HYPEBEAST
@hypebeast Visual artist and skater Ajani Russell styled the @Vans Knu Skool with a playful approach, incorporating fun prints and silhouettes showcasing their personal style. #sponsored ♬ original sound – HYPEBEAST
For the latest iteration of How To — HYPEBEAST, the two creatives brought their distinct creative outlooks to styling a new Vans silhouette, the Knu Skool. The Knu Skool is a retro-informed style, evolved from the original Old Skool silhouette. It’s all about flaunting your individuality, so the shoe acted as a blank canvas for both Herron and Russell. Russell took a comfortable and casual approach to styling the Knu Skools in the white colorway, adding some of their favorite forest green sweatpants for a pop of color. When styling the brown Knu Skool colorway, they took a more playful approach to each look, incorporating Y2K prints and fun silhouettes.
Herron styled the Knu Skools in the ways he knows best, using pieces from Advisry’s latest collection. Pairing the white Knu Skools with baggy pants and a classic Advisry oxford-printed shirt, he pulls from his brand’s signature aesthetic. Herron takes a lot of inspiration from street and skate culture, so he styled the brown Knu Skools with a casual, timeless look that’s fit for the skatepark — encapsulating that Old Meets Knu ethos. His last look is a bit more elevated, incorporating a dramatic monochromatic theme, showing his ability to channel a range of styles, as he does through his brand on the day-to-day.
To learn more about the Vans Knu Skool and to check out the versatility of the shoe for yourself, visit vans.com.
