Since the spring, SZA and Kendrick Lamar have been busy performing together on their Grand National Tour. (You may have also caught them during the Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year.) “It’s been an unforgettable soup of experiences,” SZA tells Vogue, just days before continuing on with her shows in London and Barcelona. Given her demanding schedule, you can often find the singer trying to ground herself in nature whenever she has a break; She recently went on a six-hour solo hike in Cardiff, Wales. “What’s crazy is I’ve been hiking in Vans,” says SZA. “I had these Knu Skools made into cowboy boots. It sounds bizarre—but they’re so ugly, that they’re great.”
Her choice of hiking footwear is fitting, given that the star is now working with the iconic brand. Formally announced today, SZA is joining Vans as its first-ever artistic director, where she will take on a multitude of roles—from spearheading campaigns to designing exclusive new pieces. Yes, in addition to her global superstardom, SZA can now add shoe designer to her resume. “If you think about Vans and me, it makes so much sense,” says SZA, who has been rocking the brand’s sneakers during her concerts. “I ve always been about comfort and self-expression. I love feeling stable, sturdy—and also cute as fuck.”
Sure, SZA isn’t necessarily a skater girl, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t fascinated with the outdoorsy and adventurous mood of the brand. Since its inception in 1966, Vans has been a hit with skateboarders and BMX riders alike. Now, SZA is drawn to exploring that brand identity from a fashion perspective, and amplifying its legacy of inclusivity and community-building. “Skate culture is so paramount [to Vans], but the ethos of skate culture is what I think is beautiful,” she says. “There is a lot of perseverance, trying and failing—a community that loves to take risks.”
You can certainly feel that ethos in SZA’s debut campaign for the brand. Photographed by Sophie Jones, the star is featured out in the Scottish Highlands wearing the classic Vans Knu Skool sneaker, first introduced in 1997. “I have this yearn to bring things back to deeply human spaces—AI is making me feel weird,” she says. “What I’m noticing is that people are yearning to escape—to go into nature and the wilderness. I feel like nature has poor marketing: I want to be part of the best marketing that nature could have, and be the best marketing for corny, cringey humanity.”
How will this attitude translate into some of the future Vans designs you will see from SZA? The star says you can expect entirely new silhouettes and concepts. “I’ll go as far as they’ll let me go,” says SZA, who admits she is new to sneaker designing. “I’m still a novice, but I know color, and I know silhouette.” The star also maintains that the sneakers are still going to be affordable, given that is one of her favorite parts about the label. “I love cool, comfy things that don t have a sprinkle of exclusion or elitism,” she says. In other words: Don’t expect SZA to start designing rare, one-of-a-kind designer Vans collaborations. “I m not trying to make Vans into Bottega Veneta,” she says. “I just want people to feel excited about being active.”
We will see her debut designs for the label sometime very soon. But for now, SZA is enjoying some well-earned time off, considering she and Lamar concluded their tour earlier this month. In addition to her new fashion venture, you can expect new music from her soon, too. “I know it sounds silly, but I always really want to make music being on tour,” says SZA. “I have a bunch of energy that I need to shift, and I feel the best way to do that is to create.”
