Vision Streetwear were the shoes which defined one brief era in British skate fashion. They never really crossed-over into the fashion mainstream here and so stayed an identifying brand for skaters and BMXers. In the USA things were different, I believe: they started selling in mainstream shops and provided an early prototype for the whole crossover into urban fashion which was to fuel (and fund) the skate market at the turn of the century.
2 responses to “Vision Streetwear Advert November 1989”
There was a distinct sense that a fashion crossover was looming – the Vision logo becoming a bit too ubiquitous – remember Don Brider’s “VICTIM STREET WEAR” t shirts?
I do indeed. The crossover was looming, but at this point it was nothing like it was to become.
The actual numbers involved shifted a great deal after the R.a.D era.
There’s part of me which is fascinated by analysing such numbers and I spent several years doing just that with things like DC Shoe sales. That was a huge crossover. More like a complete flip, to be honest. I don’t have a big problem with that: it paid the wages of a lot of skater-type people who might have found it hard to fit in elsewhere. Over 100 were directly employed at one point, I think.
Ultimately that particular tale ended in tears, of course, and a lot of people were hurt at the end.