CYPRESS, Calif., June 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Vans named
Carlsbad High School of Carlsbad,
Calif. as the grand-prize winner of the sixth annual Vans
Custom Culture design competition and awarded a $50,000 donation toward the school's arts
education program. At the final event held on June 9 at Industria Superstudios in New York City, a panel of notable judges
including actress Victoria Justice,
celebrity baker Amirah Kassem,
musician Bea Miller, artist and
author Dallas Clayton and Vans
professional surfer Joel Tudor
selected the winning custom Vans shoe designs among a talented
group of top five finalist schools. For the remaining finalists –
Circleville High School (Circleville,
Ohio), Foothill High School (Henderson, N.V.), McCracken County High
(Paducah, K.Y.) and Parker High School (Parker, S.D.) – Vans awarded each with
$4,000 toward their arts
programs.
Six years in, Vans Custom Culture continues to inspire
creativity and individuality among high school students across the
nation. Each year, Custom Culture has challenged them to create
their own unique pairs of Vans for a chance to fund art education
at their school. Nearly 3,000 high schools – the most in
competition history – participated in this year's event, designing
four pairs of blank Vans based on four themes: Action Sports, Art,
Music and Local Flavor. The winning design has the opportunity to
be produced and sold in select Vans retail stores, as well as
online at Vans.com.
"Year after year, Vans Custom Culture surpasses our wildest
expectations, from the level of high school participation
nationwide to the student creativity we see in all of the designs
that come through as part of the competition," said Kevin Bailey, VF Action Sports Coalition and
Vans President. "With arts education budgets continuing to suffer
across the nation, Vans is thrilled to provide a platform to help
talented youth find their creative voice and express themselves
through art and design. Vans hopes that Custom Culture will
inspire others to take up the cause of underfunding of public
school arts education and further provide opportunities for
creative expression."
Vans Custom Culture partners truth® and Journeys
also provided participating schools with an additional opportunity
to raise funds for their art programs. Journeys
selected the display that best represents
the "local flavor" theme from the top five
finalists. truth®, the nation's most successful and
longest running youth smoking prevention campaign, inspired the 50
semi-finalists with the fact that in 2014, only 8% of teens still
smoked. That's down from 23% in 2000. truth® challenged the
students to customize a skate deck by imagining what it looks like
when smoking is finished for good. Carlsbad High School from
Carlsbad, California won both
the truth® and Journeys
prices respectively $10,000 and
$15,000 to benefit its arts education
program.
Join in the Vans Custom Culture conversation by using the
hashtag #VansCustomCulture and at
www.vans.com/customculture to get all of the
details on the winner of the 2015 competition.
About Vans
Vans®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is the
original action sports footwear, apparel and accessories brand.
Vans authentic collections are sold globally in more than 75
countries through a network of subsidiaries, distributors and
international offices. Vans also owns and operates more than
450 retail locations around the world. The Vans brand
promotes the action sports lifestyle, youth culture and creative
self-expression through the support of athletes, musicians and
artists and through progressive events and platforms such as the
Vans Triple Crown of Surfing®, the Vans U.S.
Open of Surfing, Vans Pool Party, Vans Custom
Culture, Vans Warped Tour®, and Vans'
cultural hub and international music venue, the House of
Vans.
Vans, "Off the Wall" Since '66
www.vans.com
www.youtube.com/vans
www.instagram.com/vans
www.facebook.com/vans
www.twitter.com/vans_66
About truth®
truth® is the most successful and one of the largest
national youth smoking prevention campaign. The campaign exposes
the tactics of the tobacco industry, the truth about addiction, and
the health effects and social consequences of
smoking. truth® gives teens facts and information
about the tobacco industry and its products, allowing them to make
their own informed choices about tobacco use. Research-proven as an
effective public health intervention, the campaign is credited with
keeping hundreds of thousands of teens from starting to smoke. To
learn more, visit www.thetruth.com. truth® is
directed and funded by Legacy, a national public health foundation
located in Washington, D.C. Legacy
was created as a result of the November
1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between
attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the
tobacco industry. To learn more about Legacy's life-saving
programs, visit www.LegacyForHealth.org.
About Journeys
Journeys is a leader in the teen specialty retail scene, with more
than 800 stores in all 50 states, Puerto
Rico and Canada. Journeys
uses fashion savvy and merchandising science to keep in step with
the fast-paced footwear and accessories market for 13- to
22-year-old guys and girls. Journeys offers a wide variety of
trendy, relevant brands that cater to teens who seek the hottest,
new styles. The Journeys store is more than a retail environment;
it's an extension of the teen lifestyle. From the plasma TVs
playing exclusive content and the latest music videos, to the
visual merchandising strategy and promotions, to the employees
whose image and style reflect the customers' lifestyle and
attitude. In addition, Journeys reaches its customers through
www.journeys.com, a mobile website, catalog, national
advertising, strategic cross-promotions, social media and
grass-roots events like The Journeys Noise Tour. Journeys is, in
every way, an attitude you can wear!
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