VANS TURNAROUND
Operation Make Skateboarding Cool Again
How brands grow via subcultures
VF Corp’s CEO Bracken Darrell has a clear mission: Revive sales at Vans, VF Corp’s largest brand. After decades of growth, Vans’ sales have been in double-digit decline since ~2021.
In May, Darrell hired Lululemon’s Chief Product Officer Sun Choe to lead Vans. Choe is credited with Lululemon’s own expansion into footwear. Given her background, it would make sense that her focus will be on product. But there is another element to the growth of a footwear brand: a matching subculture.
What’s a subculture?
per Wikipedia: A subculture is a group of people within a cultural society that differentiates itself from the conservative and standard values to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures develop their own norms and values regarding cultural, political, and sexual matters.
