Interview to Henry Davies for the Anaheim Factory Pack launch

We met Henry Davis, from The Other Side of The Pillow, at One Block Down during the presentation of Vans Anaheim Factory Pack. He told us how to became the biggest Vans collectors in the world - besides telling us one of his secrets. Read our interview.

#1 How did your passion for Vans born and when did you decide to create the Other Side of The Pillow?

This passion came from a background of collecting. I’ve always been obsessive about the collection I started at a very young age with toys and it evolves as I found a better quality product with vans and it was a point of no return from there. I found the product that I love and wanted to follow that passion and trying to make a living out of it. I was lucky enough to have this huge collection and there was no choice but selling.

#2 On The Other Side of the Pillow you reselling of rare and almost impossible to find Van's editions. On what criteria do you choose them and what do you do to find them?

Well, it’s so difficult because I can’t afford to choose because of they are all very limited and rare. There is a very limited supply and they are pretty expensive shoes so I put my hands on anything I can find. We’re talking about 20 or even 40 years old shoes, you know. I do any length to reach these models and now there is a network that I pioneered in creating but most of the leads come from online sales or auction. I do even garage sales.

#3 The most hard-to-find model you have?

Shoes are rare for different reasons, they could be very old or very popular at the time and so there are really few pieces left. In the ’70 Vans made real clown shoes and, in order to find them, I went on clown websites, forums, shops, anywhere… Searching the old one is really hard either because, well, they were and still are deck shoes and they were used till the fall to pieces. All the old models have been really destroyed by the use. Now I’ve been collecting Vans shoes and memorabilia since seventeen years, twelve of which spending every waking moment doing what I love. I have a list with all of my special ones and every year it gets shorter…and that’s a good feeling.

#4 In your opinion, does Vans still, reflects what was original? Do you think that the new generation does have the same bond with the brand that the older ones used to have?

In many ways Vans still represents what it was in the beginning, they will always represent the core of skateboarding… they alway represent OFF THE WALL and that playful southern California attitude but at the same time in order to grow as a business, they made decision order of production growth and few things change. It was a family business and the family values are still there but as the company grows it gets harder to maintain those values. The connection between generations is still there, maybe not in the same way but is there. Now Vans is a worldwide giant and, of course, methods of production and other elements have changed.  Maybe people loved the brand because it was a homegrown made in the USA but now everyone can get it and love the brand for lot more different reason than just patriotism. There’s a balance in the old and new perception of the brand. 

#5 There is an old Vans edition that according to you they should remake? 

I have my personal favorites that I kept secret for a while but, well you can’t keep secrets forever so...the Style #43 convertible of the 80s. I’m actually wearing a pair. It is a deck shoe model similar to the Era and the Slip-On but is convertible. Vans aesthetic comes from a beach culture so you can wear this shoes both as sneakers and as a sabot. It is very rare. Some surf collection is now repurposing a similar model but the story has Italian origin and was invented by Italian gentlemen who send the model in America. The Style #43 really marked a sign in history and maybe my story will bring it back on production… it would be amazing.