If your wardrobe is not yet fully stocked with insanely comfy stuff over the months of staying inside, the newest Vans collection might just be right up your alley. The iconic skate brand has delved down to the big pineapple under the sea and bubbled back up with a huge Spongebob Squarepants collab.
The whole range, which includes a heap of shoes, clothes, hats and backpacks, has a real old school Vans vibe to it alongside the bright and fun imaaaaaagination we all know and love from Mr. Squarepants and his mates.
The whole range has been brought to life by designer Sandy Liang, who’s a huge fan of the iconic cartoon series, and each piece instills the energy and vibe of key characters from the show.
My favourite sneaks are probably these Sandy Cheeks pastel gradient hi-tops, complete with little white flowers that look exactly like the clouds outside Sandy’s physically-impossible underwater bubble house.
The range leans in hard with the classic Vans checkered aesthetic, which makes me think this is what Spongebob’s merch would look like if he joined a ska band and started wearing bowling shirts full-time.
You sit there and tell me this isn’t a t-shirt that you could pick your pennies up in.
It’s a real mood – I could definitely see someone wearing this particular button-up shirt to the next festival we’re allowed to go to.
This jacket is also a huge vibe, and mashing together the beloved sponge with Vans’ iconic “Off The Wall” tagline makes me think that in some alternate timeline, Spongebob is an elite skater who would 100% nosegrind on the front of Mrs Puff’s boat given half the chance.
It’s true I’m a sucker for a good bucket hat moment, so I’ll just leave this skateboarding Patrick Star one right here. No notes.
And for the diehard fans out there – or anyone who’s willing to take a fashion risk – there’s also these ‘best friends’ shoes, which look like Spongebob and Patrick from toe to heel.
They’re lowkey really bloody cute, and I can’t get over how cute the little faces on the tops are, or the elite touch of having a squashed Plankton on the sole.
Honestly the only missed opportunity here is that Vans didn’t literally make bikini bottoms. That would have been some top-tier Goofy Goober shit.
