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This November, Vault by Vans partners with Vans pro athlete Ray Barbee and Leica Camera on a footwear and apparel collection celebrating the equipment that enables his creative expression. A Leica ambassador himself, Ray Barbee spends time shooting photos and developing them in the darkroom when he’s not skateboarding in Vans shoes. In keeping with the campaign, we teamed up with our friend and photographer Kane Holz to spend a day with him at work.
Surrounded by photographers in the ’80s and ’90s while skateboarding, Ray Barbee was inspired by the way photographers were able to capture the movement and energy of skateboarding. Shortly after, he started shooting his own photos and spent time in the darkroom making richly shaded gelatin prints.
The footwear and apparel collection is a nod to Ray’s experiences with his beloved Leica camera, with each footwear style featuring a special quote, while the Leica Camera logo is reinterpreted with minimalistic red design details throughout.
To pick up on the campaign theme, we accompanied Kane for a day of work while he staged the new Vans x Leica x Ray Barbee collection with the matching Leica D-Lux 7 and other Leica cameras from his own repertoire.
Kane started photography in his early teens through skateboarding. It was not until the end of his school career that he focused more on photography – instead of digital everything very lo-fi, with simple cameras, expired films and cross-processing.
Over time he has incorporated more personal interest into his imagery – fashion, architecture, real scenery are among the main features of his photography.
The Vault by Vans × Leica Camera by Ray Barbee collection launches November 19, 2021. Available at all solebox locations and online via solebox.com now.