Late 70’s/80’s in the Valley, these were ubiquitous. Remember going to the OG Vans store on Topanga with my mom twice a year: two pairs before school started in September, and another two pairs and the end of the school year — the latter 2 ultimately getting destroyed from a summer of thrashing the neighborhood. This tradition continued well after school, until I left for NYC ten years ago, where choosing which ones made the luggage cut was a painful process. I committed to never having to work a job where I couldn’t have Authentics on. RIP a legendary dude.

I remember buying Authentics at my local Vans store in Costa Mesa, bringing them home and then stepping on them repeatedly with other shoes so that they would have that “broken-in” look.