Bottega Vans-neta: In Beautifully Woven Leather, Skate Shoes Go Quiet Luxury

Vans and Bottega Veneta have never collaborated on sneakers. And yet, both brands have created shoes that dance around each other's signature codes in a way that every good collaboration should.

First came Bottega Veneta’s Sawyer sneaker, essentially a flattened Vans skate shoe in disguise. A luxurious, woven leather disguise. 

Released last year, BV's Sawyer shoe shares the same low-profile shape as the Vans Authentic. You know, that quintessentially Californian skate shoe with the curved front panel. And, should you doubt that Bottega would ever look to the Vans for inspiration, the Bottega Veneta Sawyer even comes in a slip-on variation that comes awful close to the design of Vans’ classic Slip-On model.  Coincidence? Well, maybe. Or, maybe not.

Now, for Spring/Summer 2025, Vans is returning the favor, creating its own woven leather Bottega-flavored skate sneakers. 

Bottega Veneta, Press

Shared to Instagram by Greg Betty, senior footwear designer at Vans, the skate brand is reimaging its most iconic sneakers — its Old Skool, Slip On, and Authentic models — with a woven leather upper similar to Bottega Veneta’s Intrecciato weave (the same weave used on Bottega’s “Vans” sneaker). 

Part of the Vans Premium line, the similarities between these shoes and Bottega’s creations are stark. 

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There are, of course, a few key differences (the Vans’ shoes are chunkier and their craftsmanship naturally can’t match up to that of Bottega, a specialist in leather craft) but at their core, they’re the same idea presented in different ways: woven leather iterations of the same classic footwear styles.

And if you’re getting a sense of Déjà vu, it’s likely because a near-identical story recently played out with Bottega Veneta and Timberland: Bottega made a woven leather boot seemingly inspired by a pair of Timbs, then Timberland made a woven leather boot seemingly inspired by Bottega Veneta. 

Twice, in the same month, two brands have mimicked Bottega’s signature leather weave in what looks like a response to Bottega mimicking its most iconic designs — it’s a strange state of affairs. And it’s a messy, convoluted way for two brands to tip their hat to each other. 

Bottega Veneta, Vans, and Timberland, I know none of you asked for my opinion, however, here it is: if you’re going to take cues from each other and release starkly similar products in the process, why not pool resources and collaborate with each other? Skip this strange dupe-off and let us see what you can make together. 

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