JJJJound x Vans: A Sneaker for Advanced Design Aesthetes and Skaters Alike

JJJJound, the vibes-blog-turned-IRL-brand founded by Montrealer Justin Saunders, has been putting out quietly designed collaborations to not-so-quiet fanfare for years now. The tastefully tweaked goods have a way of selling out in a flash, and popping up on the secondary market with prices that rival far flashier collabs. There have been the JJJJound-designed Eddie Bauer vests and Reebok Club C kicks. Just last week, there was a Dr. Martens collaboration (which is somehow still available on the brand’s webstore; hurry and come back when you’re done). Now JJJJound has teamed up with Vans for a beautiful redesign of the classic Mid Skool 37.

This is a follow-up of sorts to the duo’s previous 2017 hit, a low-key reimagining of the Vans Old Skool. This time around, the two companies have opted for something new—a sneaker inspired by the classic Old Skool but that skews a little more obscure. The Mid Skool 37 is a mid-top lace-up that features  all your favorite tough-wearing Vans hallmarks: sturdy fabric materials, padded collars, and the brand’s signature rubber waffle outsole. 

It is offered in a trio of highly wearable colorways: black, brown, and green. The collaboration will get a week-long rollout, with each colorway dropping per day starting August 10 (via the JJJJound.com) before landing at select Vault By Vans stores on August 14.

While much of the sneaker landscape continues to opt for achingly loud design, JJJJound sticks to a quieter ethos. Saunders has long trafficked in a particular genre of vibe—tonal interiors, calming archival fashion, and upscale still-life snapshots—and that design DNA can be seen in the products his studio produces. That subtle sensibility is on display in this trio of Vans sneakers—making it the rare collaboration sure to appeal to design-loving skaters, Internet aesthetes, and sneaker collectors alike.