Vans was founded in the mid 1960's by brothers James and Paul Van Doren. The Van Doren company, Vans original name was one of the first footwear brands to manufacture their shoes and sell them directly to the public. By the 1970's they had over 70 shops in California selling mass amounts of Vans shoes This ended in 1983 when they declared bankruptcy.

In 1988 Vans was sold to an investment banking firm and paid back all the money owed. It has since been sold a further several times. During this process. Steve Van Doren, the son of co-founder Paul, remained with the company along with his sister and continued to work with Vans Shoes.

Present day and Vans are doing better than ever with its famous waffle style soles and canvas skate shoes.