Interview: Connor Tingley Goes In-Depth on His Ballpoint Vans Authentic
are on a tear in 2022, curating multiple collaborations with the likes of , and even . Joining the roster next is Connor Tingley! As an artist and designer born and raised in Southern California, who better than him to collaborate with the legendary SoCal brand?
A duo of have been created with unique ballpoint pen patterns. Enlisting the help of his creative company COOL LLC, who Tingley has said were ‘instrumental in the design’ and have plastered a blue and black colourway with the iconic Vans checkerboard print. The inspiration for the collaboration looks to LA youth culture, paying homage to Vans and the 1970s when the checkered pattern was drawn by hand. Boasting a distinctive design language, they dare to challenge beauty standards, highlighting asymmetric touches that exude a DIY grassroots vibe.
Connor Tingley’s Vans collaboration, which includes two colourways of the Authentic, is set to release on October 22, and the black colourway is a exclusive! We caught up with Tingley ahead of the drop to chat about everything Vans and what this collaboration meant to him.
Peep the interview down below!
How did this collaboration with Vault by Vans come about?
I grew up illustrating, skateboarding and wearing Vans. So if you were to tell the 14-year-old me that this was in my future – I would have unsuccessfully attempted a backflip on the spot. This all began with my love for the core values that Vans embodies. The international appeal of what they embody isn’t just theirs. It’s for all who fall and get back up and do it with style together. With that said, that’s art, that’s skateboarding, and that’s how I grew up and live today. Well, 14 years later, Jake Mednik, a rep from Vans, visited my studio and appointed me a colab for two shoes on the spot. I didn’t do a backflip, but I showed Jake illustrated concepts I had prepared for even the slightest possibility that he was to ask. That’s the magic. It felt like it was almost bound. I guess that’s why we just ought to be patient with time.
Why this silhouette?
In the origin years of Vans, dating back to the late 60s and 70s, the Vans OG Authentic and models were a staple in the streets. Forward-thinking kids wore those Vans models that inherently belonged to the identities of disruptors, looking for a ready-made shoe to take on their lifestyle. I wanted to reach into the archives to use those for the base of my collaboration, as I wanted us to discuss the story behind the famed checkered Vans.
What did the design and research process look like for this colab?
It really began with trying to understand what the iconic checkered pattern meant to me. I felt that the pattern was a rigid depiction of unity, with the black and white together but still separated by hard-edged lines! That’s not exactly what I felt unity would look like – instead, a chaotic embrace of togetherness.
How did you create the ballpoint-pen patterns?
Every line on the shoe and box began with a 1923 Waterman fountain pen. That was my touch on the story, as it’s my favourite pen. The shoe had to be hand drawn because it was a direct reference to the origins of the checkered pattern and its authentic roots.
Were they originally hand-drawn?
Oh yes, it’s the real deal. Hand drawn!
Even on the shoe box, I have drawings of outside and inside the studio. Me in the studio with my friend Billy Al Bengston, my partner, Lior, on the forklift, and a vain self-portrait of me looking out to Malibu like I should be in some kind of movie.
What do they represent?
The checkered pattern in its all-encompassing contrast was originally meant to portray togetherness and, ultimately, unity. The Ska music, the black and white kids hanging out – this was the thing. To hand-draw a checkered pattern on their scuffed-up Vans was more than just a trendy thing to do – it was solidarity. Eventually, things that are true can become a trend and then become tired, leaving those looking for truth to find it in history.
We heard you were born and raised in Southern California. Does your childhood influence your work?
It’s all true. I lived in 18 places before I was 12 years old. Do the math! Lots of moving, and I saw all of it. I was around all types of people, textures and advertisements – witnessing the homeless and hearing the echoes of the wealth. Driving. More driving. Everyone driving into dreams of fortune and fame. The ridiculousness and preciousness of having a dream. Everyone who comes here is thinking of the future. I was born here, so perhaps that’s why I’m so appreciative of its past.
Finally, what’s in store for the future?
Organically, I aligned with colabs with Nars and Vans, which allowed me to more deeply explore what depictions of Los Angeles mean to me. From glamour to skateboarding and next to sunshine ... I’m slated for an eyewear collaboration with whom I can’t yet reveal. However, I have always loved eyewear and I will be exploring design around the simplicity of ‘SUN’ in relation to ‘GLASSES’. I’m excited that I get to tether brands with meaningful concepts and create depth; elevating products to objects.