In honor of the brand’s latest shoe collaboration with legendary pro skater Anthony Van Engelen (Ave) - the Vans AVE 2.0 knit Sneaker - MATTE served as Vans’ creative & production partner to ideate and execute an Exhibition celebrating the skater’s long standing partnership with Vans Skate & one-night-only Skate Jam with obstacles directly designed by Ave himself.

Anthony Van Engelen’s AVE 2.0 signature model is Vans’ most technically advanced skate shoe yet. Striving toward utility in design while using new technologies and materials, the development of the AVE 2.0 reflects Van Engelen’s determination to push both himself and skateboarding to the next level.

MATTE sought to create an immersive experience that showcased the AVE 2.0’s inherent juxtaposition - old school, gritty skate culture and state-of-the-art sneaker technology.

MATTE wanted to celebrate the contrasts within the skate world - individuality and innovation, past and present, grit and refinement. Downtown Los Angeles was the perfect backdrop for the MATTE team to draw inspiration from. Through multiple zones within the event, MATTE celebrated the intersection of industrial spaces, old-school skate culture, graffiti, and technology.

MATTE helped produce multiple aspects of the launch - an exhibition within the Vans Store and a skate jam in the adjacent parking lot. The Exhibition, entitled “Commitment to Progression” explored AVE’s 19-year-long career and the legacy and evolution of his skate shoe designs over the years. We created a visually dynamic in-store exhibition exploring Anthony’s unique approach to footwear design - always pushing himself and skateboarding for future generations. Along with the iconic photographers & videographers he has worked with over the years, Commitment to Progression showcases the skater’s impact on the visual culture of skateboarding. The exhibition also sought to tell the story of the skate world through an innovation lens, blendinglab motifs of clean lines, technical detailing, and metallic surfaces, with the outside skate world of concrete, and texture. A mixture of street culture and creative ingenuity, this the workshop will peel back the layers of the street, bringing the outside in, as a study of the perfect skate shoe.

Concurrently, the skate jam took place with kids and the general public skating with their idols and different pro skaters. Setting up multiple halfpipes, rails, and other skate features, the skate jam sought to bring together all sides of the skate world into the same ½ block parking lot.

To bring together multiple generations of skaters and acknowledge skate’s global nature, Vans will replicate the creative developed by MATTE and take the exhibition on the road to different cities around the world throughout 2024.