Intertwining Eras: COSTS x Vans Premium ‘The Dragon Boat’ Weaves Lingnan Heritage into Skate Icons
In a digital era dominated by flat, synthetic prints, the tactile magic of hand-woven craftsmanship feels like a radical act. This is the poetic premise behind “The Dragon Boat” collection, an extraordinary collaboration between Shenzhen-based cultural tastemaker COSTS and Vans Premium, launching globally on August 29, 2026.
Using Vans’ legendary silhouettes, the Style 44 Authentic and the Classic Slip-On, as their canvas, the duo has paid profound homage to the Duanwu (Dragon Boat) Festival and the rich heritage of Southern China’s Lingnan region. The star of the design is a stunning, multi-colored bamboo lattice weave pattern across the toe boxes, where brilliant blues, deep greens, and vibrant yellows intersect in geometric harmony, mimicking the traditional weaving of bamboo leaves used to wrap festival delicacies.
Wrapped in rich, deep navy canvas and accented by clean white vulcanized soles and silver eyelets, the collection is a breathtaking marriage of skater counter-culture and ancient artisanal heritage. By stitching intangible cultural history directly into the seams of a street icon, COSTS and Vans Premium have created something increasingly rare: a sneaker with a soul.
