Vans twists the Slip-On 98 with sculptural knot and Vibram sole

Vans took the easiest shoe in skate and gave it a knot you can’t ignore. The OTW Slip-On 98 Knot Vibram turns the familiar laceless shape into a more directional sneaker, with an oversized sculptural detail across the upper, a Vibram outsole underfoot and a premium build that pushes the shoe well beyond standard canvas nostalgia.

The model landed on Vans’ U.S. site at $110 in Black / Off White and Daphne Blue / White, a price that makes sense once you look at the materials. The black pair is cut in suede; the blue version uses heavyweight canvas. Both are presented with cushioning and traction, and Vans describes the design as having a sculptural knot that updates the classic slip-on, with comfort built in. It is the kind of language that signals a shoe meant to do two jobs at once: look sharper than the average skate staple and still feel practical enough to wear all day.

That balance matters because the Slip-On 98 carries real history. Its roots go back to Southern California skate and youth culture in the late 1970s, when Vans built its reputation on no-lace shoes that were easy, durable and unmistakably tied to the West Coast. The OTW Slip-On 98 Knot Vibram keeps that silhouette intact, but the added hardware-like attitude of the knot and the grippier Vibram sole make it read more like a fashion object than a pure throwback.

Vans has been positioning OTW by Vans as its boundary-pushing design and collabs line, and this release fits neatly into that lane. It is less interested in reproducing the old skate shoe exactly than in testing how far a heritage shape can be pushed before it becomes something else. That is also why the release lands in step with the current appetite for elevated skate classics, where familiar Vans, loafers and low-top sneakers are being rebuilt with better materials, more texture and a little more polish.

The OTW Slip-On 98 Knot Vibram is strongest when viewed as a hybrid: still instantly readable as a Vans slip-on, but updated with enough craft and visual tension to feel current. If the goal is streetwear utility, the traction and cushioning give the shoe real credibility. If the goal is pure design flex, the knot does most of the talking. Either way, it turns one of Vans’ most familiar shapes into a conversation piece without losing the ease that made it matter in the first place.