Thrasher Magazine

Photo: Burnett

From air baby to Extremely Sorry to teen heartthrob to Fucking Awesome, Curren Caples has ridden the wave of skateboard stardom with speed, style and a humble goofiness that might surprise people who think of him as some sort of California golden god. And now a pro shoe on Vans—his first. We sat down with Curren to talk about his time with the storied brand, switching from contests to the streets, bowling shoes and the challenges of creating a classic pair of kicks in 2025. Congrats, C-Cup! ––Michael Burnett

While doing my research for this, I thought you had been on Vans since you were a tyke, but I found some photos of you in Adios. So when did you get on Vans?
I got on Vans when I was around eleven years old.

Next try for a Happy Meal! DVS shoulda sent that box, 2004     Photo: Stratton

So you had an endorsement deal before you were eleven?
Yeah, I originally got on DVS. And then I had that photo that Remy shot of me in Thrasher and my board was plastered with DVS stickers. So my dad sent that photo to the guys at DVS and asked them, “Hey, can you send Curren something to stoke him out since he got his first photo in the mag with all these DVS stickers?” He didn’t ask for money or anything, kinda just like a congrats package or whatever, and they were just like, “Nah.” So I quit DVS and got on Hawk shoes and then that kind of dissolved and they put me on Adio. And then I got on Flip and Geoff put me on Vans.

Oh yeah. A fun fact about Vans at that time: there was a brief period where Flip was so powerful that they took over part of the marketing for Vans and would put their own ads together. I remember I would send photos to the Flip guys, not the Vans guys. They did Scott Kane’s ads too. 
That may have been a little before my time. When I got on David Gonzalez was on for about a year, but I think Bastien had just gotten off Vans.

With Flip being so heavy, did you go straight to wearing the Geoff Rowley shoes?
No, I couldn’t fit in them. They didn’t make them small enough. I’d only wear the Chukkas because there was no other skate shoe my size. And then when I could fit into actual skate shoes, I didn’t want to wear the Rowleys. I went straight to the classics. Actually, there was one round of shoes that they made for me. They made me one pair of all the shoes in my size. Size four! So I had size-four Half-Cabs, but they were on normal-sized soles, so they looked like platform shoes. I had a whole sample box of them. I should have held onto those, they were sick!

Off the spine, about to say adios to those Adios, 2008   Photo: Burnett

So once you had adult-sized feet, what was your go-to shoe?
I think it was the Era. I wore a ton of Eras.

What about the pro models? Did you dabble in those?
I had a lot of Chimas. A lot of AVEs. I actually skated a ton of AVEs. I had some TNTs.

The high-tops?
Nah, those were like in 2000. Those were old. I remember Nick Trapasso had a color way for a Chukka. And I was fired up! I remember going into the Vans store as a little kid trying to act like I know what I’m talking about. I was like, Can I get the Nick Trapassos? They were like, What are you talking about? I’m like, The tie-dyed ones. They had no idea. He was honestly my favorite skater at that time.

Trapasso?
Yeah, at the time I was obsessed with Nick Trapasso.

You ever meet him?
I only met him once. He quit right after that.

Nobody knew any of this was sketchy yet. Dunk tank sandwich, 2008     Photo: Hammeke

He was fun. So as a little kid on Vans, what were your interactions with the team like?
It took a long time for me to get in the van and start properly filming. That didn’t happen until I was 17. I mean, I knew everyone, but I was still that little contest kid. But I wasn’t really involved in the filming sessions or anything. So as a kid I was more on the Steve Van Doren side, like the demo-tour side of things.

What was that like?
Just, like, Zumiez parking lot mini-ramp demos. They all kind of blend together.

Lots of Hassan time, right?
Oh yeah, he was there. It’s funny, the little kids get lumped in with the older dudes on the team.

That’s rad. Who were some of your mentors on the team?
Actually, the first time I saw someone do cocaine was when I was 13 or 14 with Alex Perelson, in my room, at some Mall of America demo in Minnesota.

What?! They’ve probably got the best shit out there. Pure snow!
I was so shocked.

Was that when you did the highest air of your life?
No, that was a different Minnesota trip when I was still on Powell. I accidentally erased that video. My highest air!

Behold: highest air of his life! Third Lair, 2007      Photo: Rhino

We should point out that Alex Perelson later cleaned up his act and is doing great these days. 
Yeah. He’s amazing. I’m not feeling scarred by it or anything.

Who at Vans finally asked if you wanted to be in a video?
They kept asking me where my footage was. So I guess it started right before Propeller.

Oh wait, I wanted you to go through all your team managers over the years. Who was first? Justin Regan?
I think it was Jamie Hart. He had just gotten the job, too, I think. Me and Jamie have been there almost the same amount of time.

Finally in those Waffles! Hip to vert at Channel Street, 2008   Photo: Burnett

Who was the TM after that?
Kinda Griffin Collins. He’s hilarious. He was fun to travel with.

Yeah, one of the funniest people. And he looked like Philip Seymour Hoffman for a while and then he got all buff. 
That was good. He was really funny. There’s been so many people. And even though people have different job titles, there’s always so many people to help you out. They might as well be your TM.

So Jamie Hart is your long-haul guy.
Yeah. And then there was Matt B. He was epic. He led by example. So laid back. But it was almost like reverse psychology. He was so cool you’d feel bad to not try to get a trick or to be late for the van. I don’t really feel like they run it like that anymore. There’s no 10 AM wake-up calls on the hotel phone these days.

Greg Hunt takes advantage of some pillow-like Slip-Ons. SF, 2015    Photo: Burnett

First real Propeller trip. Paris, 2014    Photo: Burnett

Feeble attempt at handrail skating? Nah, Street Curren was just getting started. Paris, 2014   Photo: Burnett

On the subway with assistant director Ryan Lovell, 2014   Photo: Burnett

Back when America (and air time) was free! Klamath Falls, 2015    Photo: Burnett

You gotta come on a Thrasher Vacation then. 
Oh yeah. That’s like a dying thing. So many people have helped me over the years, though. Cierra and Tin. And now Shealy, he’s sick.

And then there was a time when Vans was really pushing the Park Series and they had you out there front and center. Did you worry about having to be the Park Series guy?
I hated those. I hated those so much. Because there was so much pressure put on me. I probably put it on myself.

Because it’s the Vans event. And you’re the Vans guy. And didn’t you win some sort of X-Games bowl contest?
Yeah, kinda.

Stressing and Smithing at the Van Doren Invite, 2013   Photo: Burnett

So then they maybe got fired up that you could win the Park Series?
Maybe, but the contest I won at the X-Games was more like a BMX course with giant spines and shit. And then at the Park Series it was a big bowl. I was competing against kids who came straight from vert. And I never really skated vert. It was sick at first, especially who you got to skate with in practice. It was Raney, Grant, Ronnie, Raven. All the Rs.

So sick! Back to shoe talk: I’ve noticed that you are not afraid to skate all terrain in the Vans Slip-Ons. 
I’m getting more afraid these days.

Are those more cruising shoes? Because the Slip-Ons are great, but there’s nothing but canvas between you and the kingpin.
I think there’s a time and a place for them. I used to skate in them constantly. But I’ve realized that if you take impact in a shoe with no resistance, your joint takes all the abuse. And I’ve done that to my toes so much. You need support in there. Honestly, to skate flat or a ledge, they’re the best shoes. Board control and everything? The best.

Good for rails, curbs too! Curren puts the slips to the test for his Vans video, 2020   Photo: Burnett

Did those Skate Pros they made with the little flag on them make a difference to you?
Yeah, the Skate Pros last way longer. But, honestly, I want socks. The looser the shoe is on my foot, the more I like it. I feel like I can dig into places. If I wear cup soles, I feel like there’s a tipping point for me. There’s a point of no return. You can use it to your advantage when your shoes are looser.

So you appeared in Propeller, then you sort of floated around board sponsors after Flip and then you and Ryan Lee made your Curren Caples for Vans part. Do you feel like that part made people at Vans look at you differently?
I think for sure. It wasn’t like anyone was really forcing me to do it. I’ve always wanted to put out a part I was proud of. And nobody was on me with a deadline or anything. I was pretty stoked. It was a transition period in my life. I was really scared to put it out, because I felt like I hadn’t done too much for quite a while.

But people loved it, right?
I got some good feedback for sure. I’m proud of it.

COVID corner air, 2020   Photo: Burnett

So when did they call you in the office to start talking about the pro shoe? Because this is as big as it gets. 
I started on it two years ago. There was a contract renewal and we started from there. You want a shoe? Yeah, I want a shoe.

Where do you start? Because I’m sure you want a shoe that works for your skating, but you also want that Janoski money! You want a shoe that’s gonna sell. You want the new Half-Cab.
I was definitely really nervous. It’s been done so many times, designing a shoe. And it’s hard for me to think of something I’d really want to wear, just because I’m so comfortable in all the Vans classics I’ve worn my whole life. It was hard to see myself wearing anything different. And HAVING to wear it. I was just going through everything I could find online. I was looking at a lot of ’90s Vans for inspiration. I was actually looking at a ton of bowling shoes. I probably sent in like four different bowling shoes. I was going through everything. Those were the only ones that had something interesting that you don’t see in every skate shoe.

Wear test at Kathy Griffin’s bowl, 2023    Photo: Burnett

Just one of the boys! Hawaii, 2023    Photo: Burnett

How did Vans respond to your bowling shoes?
For my first meeting there were three different designers and they each had something based off of the shoes I was sending into them. I started developing a shoe that was pretty much an Old Skool and I got 90-percent done with that, but then got another sample that was more like the bowling shoe, from a different designer. So then I had to make decision between the two, and it was really rough after the other shoe was almost all the way done. But we started over from scratch, pretty much. I don’t think the Vans people were too stoked. But I took the shoe that was almost done and put it into a line-up with all the other classics and you could barely tell it was anything different. It just blended in. It was nice, but I needed something different.

Did anyone give you any advice as far as colors?
They make a bunch of different samples in all these colors and then it’s pretty much the regions who decide what colors get made. I really pushed for an all-black leather shoe, because I feel like they barely ever make those. So that was cool. That got to be the skateshop shoe.

And you don’t have the waffle sole, you’ve got something fancier, right?
Yeah. I found a shoe from the ’90s. It was actually pretty horrendous looking, but the side stripe went through the whole bottom of the shoe. So I thought it would be cool, since I don’t really have a side stripe anywhere else on the shoe that’s pronounced. So it has a different tread pattern, but it’s kind of a reverse waffle.

Making waves at FA Skate Jam #1. He got on the team a few months later     Photo: Burnett

I know with the new AVE they went all space-age. Was there a push to use modern materials?
No, my shoe is not too bulky, but also supportive. There wasn’t a big tech push.

So how’d it come out?
It’s kind of the same weird feeling when you ride a board with your name on it. It’s strange to look down and see your name. I wasn’t really telling too many people at first, because I wanted genuine reactions. But I got pretty good feedback, even from people who rode for Vans. Oh yeah, those are my shoe. It was kind of good that way.

Are you happy with them?
Oh yeah. There was a minute when I was getting samples where I couldn’t get as many as I wanted and had to make them last. There was a big fear that there would be something off about them that would feel weird and freak me out, but there was nothing like that. They feel just like any of the classics. It might be an upgrade for me. I haven’t gotten any blisters or fucked up my feet since I’ve been wearing them.

REDRUM!

That’s all you can ask for. Your boy Louie came out with the all-silver shoes for his recent drop. Are we gonna see any crazy colors?
No, we have red ones for the event and then the all-black for the skate shops, which are a premium leather. Those are the fancy ones.

Your commercial came out great. Was this your attempt to poke fun at everyone chasing fashion these days?
It kind of took on new meaning once I realized it was going to actually happen. I sent Jamie Hart a cologne ad as a joke, like, What if we do something like this? And then it started making it into meetings without me. So once it was really happening, we just needed to make sure that it was funny. Because, a lot of fashion stuff is pretty over the top.

And also, you kinda get stuck as the pretty-boy surfer, but unlike a lot of fellow pros, you’re not chasing it. I took it as you kind of riffing on people’s assumptions about you. Because you kind of look like a model. 
Yeah, I got nervous once I found out it was really gonna happen, but it turned out pretty funny. The times I have done modeling shit, I totally hated it. It was the worst shit ever. So it was just funny.

Chandeliers and dust storms. Blasting at his recent shoe launch      Photo: Burnett

And then, in the Vans ad in the mag, it comes with a perfume sample. What is that all about?
My vision for it at first was just to have an ad without a photo of the shoe at all—just look like a cheesy cologne ad. And then the scent was just the scent of a shoe. So it would be like, Oh, that kind of smells like a shoe. Just to keep people guessing. But then, when it comes down to it, it doesn’t really make sense to have a shoe ad and not show the product.

Did Steve Van Doren really get in the pool for that synchronized-swimming shot?
Nah, he had a body double. He really put his face in water for that other scene, though.

Well, congrats! You join such names as Steve Caballero, Chima Ferguson and Cara-Beth Burnside. What’s your definition of success with this thing?
I just hope people like it. I feel like there’s a cult of people who only wear the classics. They never go for the signature shoes at Vans. So I just wanted something that took a lot of the best qualities of the classics and put them into my shoe. So if someone wears Old Skools or Slip-Ons, they’re gonna like this shoe.

With filmmakers Ryan Lee and Johnathan Flechas. Hell yeah, Curren’s got a video to go with these shoes! Coming soon…  Photo: Burnett