Image taken by Andrew* on Flickr

The Carnaby Street Vans store opened in December 2003 and has become a firm favourite on the cosmopolitan street ever since. The epitome of self expression and rebellion - the store fittings reflect the brand’s ideals extremely effectively.

Founded in 1966 by Paul Van Doreen in California, the Vans brand has always been associated with skateboarding, BMX and other extreme sports. Also, ever since Sean Penn donned a pair of classic black and white slip-ons in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemount High’ whilst playing the typical surfer Jeff Spicoli, the brand has been heavily associated with surfing.

The Carnaby store has everything Vans related, you could ever wish for, from graphic t-shirts, jeans and accessories to a wide range of shoes. Including the classic waffle slip-ons, sh8-hi and half cabs.

They even stock tiny little vans for babies and toddlers which are pretty cute and the perfect present for any punk-rocker parents you may know.

The store also stocks a good selection of band influenced designs, which in the past have featured bands such as AC-DC, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Bad Brains and Slayer.

The vans shop also has a cabinet of Nixon and Vestral watches for people wanting some to grab some less mainstream blingage.

The Carnaby store holds some in-store events which are worth checking out. In the past bands such as Fightstar, Funeral For A Friend, In Flames, Millencolin, Gogol Bordello and Bedouin Soundclash have performed there.

Vans stores are quite rare in England, and this Carnaby street store boasts 3,500 square foot of space. You can also check out the Westfield Vans store if you are heading to the shopping centre.

www.vans.co.uk
47 Carnaby Street
Westminster
London W1F 9