Back in 2018, we brought you our first collaboration with Vault by Vans across three iconic silhouettes. Picking up where we left off, we’re excited to announce that we’ve teamed up once again with the Californian giants for another take on three more of their signature models!

Here at Footpatrol, we’ve always built our collaborations around our strong appreciation for heritage and the stories we hold close to our hearts. Paying tribute to our roots and the streets that Footpatrol call home, we used these keystones as the base for our first coming together with Vans Vault. For this second take, we wanted to flip this story on its head and draw inspiration from Van’s home state of California and the city of L.A. 

To celebrate the city of Los Angeles, a city that has become known for its colourful expression and its creativity. We wanted to pay homage to the city’s well known painted storefronts, the forgotten and underappreciated art form of sign painting that dresses much of L.A. To do this we teamed up with Javier Matias, owner and founder of ‘Mid City Signs’ for a three-way collaboration. 

Ever since 2014, Javier has been keeping himself busy, cementing himself within the streetwear scene of L.A. Originally studying Fashion Design at L.A Trade-Tech, Javier was eating a grilled cheese when he spotted Jamal Gunn Becker, a local graffiti artist, walking through his campus. It was at that moment Javier stopped what he was doing, followed Jamal to find himself immersed in the world of Sign Painting. This split decision to follow Jamal Gunn Becker, later became his new path, he swapped courses and enrolled into what is one of the oldest courses run within the US. 

As time has gone on, Javier has been able to become the go to guy when it comes to L.A. sign painting with his company Mid City Signs. Besides the usual store fronts such as FTP and Midnight studios, Javier has even worked on Coachella and Camp Flog Gnaw. 

During a visit we made to Complexcon 2018, we stumbled across Javier and Mid City Signs instantly falling in love with what they do and how they go about doing it. A laid back approach filled with friendly smiles and welcoming hellos is what makes Mid City Signs what it is working perfectly with the city’s way of life. 

To be able to showcase Javier’s work we reached out to him to work together alongside Vans to produce a three piece collaboration inspired by the L.A. shop fronts.

To be able to create an authentic feel to the campaign we asked Javier to take us on a day in the life of Mid City Signs walking us through his journey, some of the spots he’s worked on across L.A. and share with us his view on where he sees Mid City Sign going. 

This special collaborative project is Now Available online and in-stores, price ranges from £80 – £90.

Photos by Rhyan Santos
Video by Abraham Recio / Zach Rabago