House of Vans – Opening
Yesterday we had the opportunity to see history in the making. On August 9th, House of Vans London officially opened its doors. What’s behind the big name? It’s not just London’s one and only indoor skatepark but a space for urban creativity, music and everything around it. The location is spread across five tunnels right beneath London’s Waterloo station. It sounds amazing, it is amazing and will permanently enrich the city’s cultural life. Here are some pictures from the location just a few hours before the opening.
The opening night was preceded by an epic boat ride together with some of Vans’ greatest legends: Steve van Doren, the son of the founder, Christian Hosoi, Anthony van Engelen, Geoff Rowley and many more. Beautiful weather, BBQ and skateboarding’s finest, what more can you want?
The opening party, which followed at night, was packed and included skate sessions with some of the mentioned legends as well as gigs by bands such as Dinosaur Jr. And – yes! – Public Enemy.
There were five history cases with memorabilia from almost 5 decades of Vans history. They were curated by Sneakers Magazine’s very own contributors Jürgen Blümlein (Made for Skate) and Henry Davies (The Other Side of the Pillow).
Henry Davies, Steve van Doren and Jürgen Blümlein
Two of Germany’s most influential skate heads, Richie Löffler and Florentin Marfaing
Steve van Doren having fun capturing the pool skating
Gorm Ashurst, who created a special Vans zine for the event …
… discovered by our favorite skate historian Jürgen Blümlein.
If you’re interested, go there yourself. More info over here on the HOV’s website.
