Vans & Lazy Oaf Are Making Your Middle School Look Cool Again

The pink frenzy is far from over. We may be decrying millennial pink as the color of the hour, but trust us, we're still very much invested in the shade. Vans' latest collaboration taps quirky London-based indie brand, Lazy Oaf with a full collection tinged with the right levels of pink that our teenage hearts are melting over. With a focus on Vans' classic checkerboard print, the Vans x Lazy Oaf collection brings with it flashbacks of our middle school aesthetic — Avril Lavigne-circa-2004-approved punk, throwback Vans prints, and a black, white, and pink color palette.

Both Vans and Lazy Oaf have been heavy handed with collaborations over the last few years: Both have dipped into the world of Disney and have featured a myriad of other cartoon characters including Hello Kitty, Betty Boop, and Spongebob Squarepants, to name a few. With their paths winding around one another, a meeting of the minds was bound to happen sooner or later. Even Gemma Shiel, Lazy Oaf’s founder and creative director, recognizes in the press release that "Vans and Lazy Oaf fans are very similar." Shiel continues: "Everyone that wears both Lazy Oaf and Vans are nonconventional and 'keep it weird' in an irreverent and playful way."

Striking that exact cord, the collection features zany details like a "Sorry I'm Late" tee, emoji-like eyeballs embedded into the checkerboard prints, and a crossbody bag with embellished with bear ears. The full ready-to-wear and accessories line-up is topped off with four classic Vans sneakers, including The Old Skool Platform, a reissue of Vans' Style 29, and its famous slip-on.

The Vans x Lazy Oaf collection is currently available to shop in select Vans stores and online at Vans.com and will be available on LazyOaf.com starting April 13.