Gallery Dept x Vans: Inside the Cult Sneaker Collab "Old Skool Good Luck"

After making its mark on streetwear apparel, Gallery Dept moved into sneakers with a run of collaborations that sneakerheads now treat as must-knows. Leading the pack: the Gallery Dept x Vans collaboration, headlined by the Old Skool Good Luck Gallery Dept. x Vault by Vans, which turned into a cult piece within months. This guide breaks down that collab in detail, then rounds up the brand's other footwear partnerships across Asics, Lanvin, and Uggs.

Gallery Dept in the sneaker world: from apparel to footwear

Founded by Josué Thomas, Gallery Dept first made its name on apparel before expanding into gallery dept shoes. The approach carries over directly from ready-to-wear: reimagining iconic silhouettes through the brand's artistic lens, blending hand-applied paint, punk-flyer-inspired prints, and deliberately worked-in finishes. As a result, gallery dept sneakers quickly became just as coveted as the brand's most in-demand apparel pieces.

The Gallery Dept x Vans collab: the Old Skool Good Luck, a cult classic

The brand's first footwear partnership, the gallery dept vans collaboration marked Gallery Dept's official entry into the sneaker world. The collection's flagship model, the Old Skool Good Luck Gallery Dept. x Vault by Vans, builds on Vans' historic Old Skool silhouette, deeply reworked by Josué Thomas.

The story behind the design: nostalgia and punk spirit

The concept behind this pair draws directly from Josué Thomas's own memories, tapping into recollections of his first pair of Vans and the influence of the punk show flyers that shaped his teenage years. For the upper, the artist assembled a visual made of magazine clippings, titled "Good Luck," conceived as a reflection on today's social landscape. That storytelling layer, a hallmark of every Gallery Dept collaboration, is what sets this pair apart from a simple styling exercise.

The details that make the difference

On the technical side, the Old Skool Good Luck is defined by a handful of standout elements: a distressed upper covered edge-to-edge in the signature print, thick yellow laces with "Good Luck" repeated throughout, a side stripe reworked in fuzzy red fabric in place of the classic Vans jazz stripe, and upside-down Vans branding on the heels. The phrase "Art That Kills," a recurring Josué Thomas signature, appears stitched at the heel, while Gallery Dept branding shows up on the distressed midsole.