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THIS WEEK, Harry Styles stepped out with rumoured fiancée Zoë Kravitz, and while most online conversations landed where you would expect (the ring she happened to be wearing), our eyes went south to the pair of lovingly worn sneakers he was wearing: a pair of simple Vans Authentics that had seen better days. Which makes them the perfect shoe.

It’s a style that the singer has been snapped regularly stepping out in. When he’s not donning up-scaled or fancier garb for events, the Authentic has been his go-to shoe for almost half a decade now. It’s the ultimate off-duty shoe that works with almost every style of pants. Or shorts. Or even sweats. The ultimate rinse and repeat sneaker.

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That consistency tracks with the shoe itself. The Authentic is Vans’ original silhouette, first released in 1966, and it’s still built around the same core design. A low-top canvas upper, lace-up front with metal eyelets, and a vulcanised rubber sole with the brand’s waffle tread. The construction is incredibly simple, but it is also what gives the shoe its lifespan.

The canvas upper is light and durable, easy to wear in and easy to maintain. The vulcanised sole bonds directly to the upper, which helps with grip and keeps the structure intact over time. There is no excess padding, no internal build that changes the shape. What you see is what you get.

That is also why it tends to age well. That wear and tear also becomes a badge of honour. Every smudge a sign of a good time, streak of dirt a story to tell. They’re the blank canvas of footwear. The only reason to replace them is because they’re so far gone you could be walking barefoot, not because they’ve fallen out of rotation.

Vans Authentic

$109.99 from THE ICONIC

The other sweetener is the price. The Authentic has remained relatively accessible at $109.99 RRP as far as budgets are concerned, making repeat wear and replacement straightforward. If you compare that to the minimum average price of petrol per litre, 202.5 cents, they’re cheaper than filling up your average hatchback.

That combination, simple construction, consistent design, and low barrier to entry, is what keeps it in circulation. It does not need to be reintroduced or reworked every season.

Styles wearing them again, in a different context, does not change anything about the shoe. It just reinforces what has already been true for decades.

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