Update, October 15: Reminder — Ryo Aizawa's Super Standard Black/Snake signature boot still goes on sale tonight at 9:00 PM ET (Friday, October 16) via Vans Japan online and authorized Vans snowboard boot shops, ¥38,500 tax included per Hypebeast. No US date yet. Shop Vans at ONENESS.
Vans Snowboarding just handed Ryo Aizawa something no Japanese rider has had before: his own signature boot colorway. The Super Standard (Ryo Aizawa Black/Snake) goes on sale Friday, October 16, through the official Vans online store in Japan and authorized Vans snowboard boot shops. Hypebeast lists it at ¥38,500, tax included. Vans hasn't said anything about a US release yet, so for now this is a Japan drop.
Vans Japan says the boot is a nod to the late-'90s golden era of snowboarding, back when style was everything and nobody cared how many gadgets your boot had. Aizawa worked on the color and design with the Vans snow design team, and the headline detail is the snakeskin. In his words, from Vans Japan's launch page: "Getting my own boot with Vans was one of my goals, so I'm grateful to be given this chance as the first Japanese rider." He says he took the snakeskin he likes to wear in everyday life and put it on the boot, and Vans turned the picture in his head, from the color down to the materials, into the real thing.
Under the snake, it's a serious boot. The Super Standard starts from the soft, playful flex of Vans' flagship Hi-Standard OG, then cuts the overall height down for a lower, cleaner shape that moves more naturally. Vans pitches it as a do-everything boot for park, powder and everything in between. Inside is the V3 UltraCush liner with quick-drying FlashDry, a V2 PopCush insole and a V2 harness for hold, all sitting on a V1 Waffle Lug outsole made with All-Trac cold-weather rubber. So yes, there's a waffle sole on a snowboard boot, because Vans is going to Vans.
There's a launch party too. On Thursday, October 15, from 7 to 10 PM Japan time, Vans is hosting "Searching for Ryo Aizawa: Premiere" at HVEN in Nakameguro, Tokyo. Wasted Talent, the action-sports and subculture outlet based in the south of France, made a new film for the launch, and it screens there first. Aizawa will do a Q&A after the film, and there will be a photo show and DJs. It's free, and you don't need to sign up.
Our take: signature boots usually go to the riders whose names already sell boards, so this is a big deal for Japanese snowboarding and a smart move by Vans. Japan has one of the most stylish snow scenes on the planet, and putting a Japanese rider's name on the boot for the first time is overdue. Black snakeskin on a snowboard boot is a little bit rock star and a little bit cowboy, and we're into it. It's the kind of boot that looks just as good on the lift line as it does on the mountain.
At ONENESS: shop Vans at ONENESS. More Vans news on Orbit: the Dodgers Sk8-Hi and Skate Era and Vans x Harris Tweed.
Source: Vans Japan's official Super Standard by Ryo Aizawa page, with the price reported by Hypebeast. Images: official Vans campaign photos, used as published.
