It’s not easy to envision a brand as having a heart, a soul and a family history that is as near and dear as, perhaps, your own or that of your loved ones but after viewing this Vans film, Since 66, it might be a bit easier. Directed by Eliot Rausch and narrated by Steve Van Doren, the film tells the story of Vans’ beginnings and how, over the years the company has affected both the family behind it and the lives of those it has touched.
Of the film’s creation, Rausch said, “Vans came to me with a proposal to create a short film that embodied the essence of their brand. The creative exploration and freedom they allowed me was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Pure trust, pure faith, in my abilities as a story-teller director and as a friend. In creating this piece, it was profound to realize the success of their company, at its core, is based on a similar model they share with everyone they work with. To feel part of a brand, part of a family, part of an authentic creative expression, truly moved me to my core.”
Now that may sound like a lot of brand babble but watch the film. It’s one of the most unpretentious pieces of work we have seen in a long time.
Capturing the essence of the Vans brand, Founder Paul Van Doren, it the end of the film, is quoted as having said, “It was never about waving around the brand like a flag. It was about the people.”
For some brands, that’s an impossibility. For Vans, it seems a way of life.
