Vans is a brand which understands the importance of individuality. Founded well over fifty years ago by brothers Paul and Jim Van Doren, what started with a single silhouette in 1966 has gone on to spawn countless shoes, styles and collaborations. Vans have a rich catalogue to suit any personality and taste, and wearers can add their own personalised touch with a variety of lacing options. Here, we take a look at three styles of lacing so you can modify your Vans and make them uniquely yours.

How to Cross Lace Vans Sk8 Hi

When it comes to lacing, the cross lace is one of the most widely used out there. It’s a fairly simple technique which can be used across a variety of shoes, and we demonstrate it here with a Vans silhouette which, like the cross lace, has proved its versatility over the years. The Sk8-Hi first arrived in 1978 under a different name – ‘Style 38’ – and quickly proved a hit amongst the skating community. The high-rising design of the shoe better protected their ankles from the wear and tear of the sport – a simple innovation, when you think about it.

• Step 1: Start with a basic single bar across the bottom eyelets.
• Step 2: Then cross over to the opposite side, moving up one eyelet.
• Step 3: Continue this method all the way up to the top of the eyelets.
• Step 4: Mirror this technique on the opposite foot so everything is symmetrical.

How to Diamond Lace Vans Authentic

Want to make your Vans look extra impressive, with a really simple technique? Diamond lacing is the one for you. The technique can instantly elevate your Vans, adding a little something extra to timeless silhouettes like the legendary Vans Authentic. This model is famously the first shoe ever produced by Vans, although at the time of its initial release it was known as ‘Style #44’. Having been around for well over fifty years, the shoe is a testament to Vans’ ability to produce grail silhouettes – it simply doesn’t get more iconic than the Authentic.

• Step 1: Start with each end of the lace coming out from behind the bottom eyelets.
• Step 2: Thread the first lace diagonally to the third eyelet from the bottom.
• Step 3: Thread through the eyelet below, and cross over diagonally once again.
• Step 4: Continue this ‘eyelet below, cross over diagonal’ pattern and you’ll end up with a ‘woven effect’.

How to Bar Lace Vans Old Skool

If you want to make your favourite Vans look super clean, bar lacing is the one for you. This method will leave your shoes looking neat, and is a style which can be used across many different silhouettes – but for this demonstration, we’re using an absolute classic. The Old Skool was the very first Vans silhouette to include the legendary side stripe, having first graced the public in ’77 and remaining largely unchanged since.

• Step 1: Start by lacing one eyelet up on one side, and two eyelets up on the other.
• Step 2: Then take the lace from eyelet one and cross to the opposite side to make the first bar.
• Step 3: Continue this process, skipping an eyelet each time you cross over to make a bar.

These styles can be applied to any Vans silhouette you like – the choice is yours. Whether it’s the classic Old Skool, the minimal Authentic or the built-up Skate-Hi, Vans has a shoe – and a lace style – for any taste. size? offers a selection of Vans to complete any fit.

Check out our Vans selection here.