Chicago-based object designer Benjamin Edgar has announced a new collaboration with Vault by Vans.
With a resume that includes founder of Boxed Water, 1/3rd of THE BRILLIANCE with Virgil Abloh and Chuck Anderson, and recent Champion collab, Benjamin Edgar is now adding footwear to his ever-growing catalog of exceptionally crafted products.
The collaboration includes two silhouettes: the Half Cab Decon VLT LX and Authentic One-Piece NL VLT. The Half Cab comes in White/White and White/Orange colorways, each featuring a deconstructed composition with all of the padding on the upper removed. The lower panels have also been replaced with knurled rubber vulcanization. In similar minimalist fashion, the Authentic comes in White/Bone and features a single piece canvas upper with exaggerated knurled rubber elements on the back panel and toe box. Each pair features “BENJAMIN EDGAR, A VULCANIZED COMPANY” wording on the midsole, a flip on “BENJAMIN EDGAR, an object company.” A couple other interesting details are the small tags on the medial sides that read “OBJECT” and the graphics on the insoles that depict the classic Vans waffle outsole.
“I’m thrilled that the end product is both conceptual enough to fit in with my existing work while being super wearable day-to-day,” says Benjamin Edgar about his Vault by Vans collab.
The campaign image for this project is titled Razor’s Edge and is a collaboration between Benjamin Edgar and photographer Chris Bain. The piece is a composite of three images: Benjamin Edgar balancing on a “green screen” balance beam, one of 615 different macro lens photos of a specific razor blade at various angles and studio lighting, and a photo of the sky taken by Ben on his iPhone.
Benjamin Edgar explains the campaign image concept in a recent IG post: “The idea is a literal and figurative illustration of this process of creating products that are especially pure to you personally colliding with the need/desire for commercial viability. Is it art or design? Etc. …That and my deep love for unrealistic images.” Ben goes on to explain that he and Chris are “doing a zine with an interview and all 600+ razor photos shortly.”
The Benjamin Edgar for Vault by Vans collection will be available exclusively on benjaminedgar.com on November 4th. Check out all three pairs below.
Benjamin Edgar x Vans Half Cab Decon VLT LX
Color: White/White
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Benjamin Edgar x Vans Half Cab Decon VLT LX
Color: White/Orange
Release Date: November 4, 2022
Benjamin Edgar x Vans Authentic One-Piece NL VLT
Color: White/Bone
Release Date: November 4, 2022
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