Vans Debuts Reworked Slip-Ons With Handy Pockets To Store Your Tools

Sneakers are typically designed with one core function: to carry your feet around. Well, imagine if they could transport much more.

These uniquely spring-ready shoes by Vault by Vans and reputed upcycling designer Nicole McLaughlin are a sole sister of the gardening tote. The term “tote,” after all, is believed to have originated from West African words for pick up and carry (tota and tuta), so who’s to say you have to lug your stuff over your shoulder? Why not with your feet, like these practical, retooled Vans Slip-On VP VR3 LX editions?

Rolled out in time for gardening season, the Vault by Vans x Nicole McLaughlin Collection comprises slip-ons with pockets to stash your floriculture and work tools into, drawing from functional garden totes and construction bucket bags.

The Gardening Tote variation, originally sampled from an actual old gardening bag, offers allocations that green-thumbed folks can use to hold things like shears and pruning scissors.

Custom ankle collar straps let you hang the shoes over a hook when you’re not using them, or tote them around in a real gardening tote.

“The Vault by Vans NM Gardening Tote is a vision I’ve had for a while,” describes McLaughlin, a New York designer who has been tapped by several notable brands like Gucci and Puma to reimagine classics sustainably.

“I’ve always loved the Slip-Ons and the traditional canvas upper. The idea of canvas made me think about vintage gardening bags and it inspired me to make my own version, a functional gardening tote Slip-On.”

Meanwhile, the workwear bucket bag-like shoes—decked out in a utilitarian colorway of brown, black, and gray—are envisaged to help keep items like spanners, Allen keys, and even your stationery.

In line with the recycling theme, the footwear is constructed from eco-friendly materials, such as outsoles with 60% responsibly-sourced natural rubber, plant-based footbeds, organic cotton uppers, and 50% recycled polyester bindings.

You can walk these remixed “totes” to the shed for a price of US$115.

[via Vault by Vans, Sole Collector, Better Homes & Gardens, images via Vans]