SZA’s first collection as Vans Artistic Director is out, and it is on the UK shop. VANSZA Drop 1, a footwear and apparel range Vans says is inspired by the natural world and shaped by her personal perspective, launched on 22 October 2026 at Vans retail locations and on Vans.com, according to the official Vans UK campaign page and the Vans US announcement, both dated 15 October. The lead shoes are listed on Vans UK now: the VANSZA Knu Skool Mule at £75, and the VANSZA Authentic Kickdown at £85.

Those two silhouettes sit at the centre of the drop. In a quote published by Vans, SZA said: ‘I love a mule and I love a slide-on. So I needed everything to be slide-on-able. My mom has been telling me, “Please stop stepping on the back of your shoes” my whole life. She hates it. So I put the design aspect in my shoes. I created a step-down shoe, and then I took the whole back off the Knu Skool because, why not? Less effort. More fun. More accessibility. More comfort. More color.’ Vans says the Authentic Kickdown uses custom artwork by Sage Adams, distressed canvas and a collapsible heel that can be worn as a regular shoe or a slip-on. The UK product page for the mule describes a black suede upper and Sage Adams artwork on the footbed.

The collection is not only the shoes. Vans says the apparel and accessories mix vintage outdoor influences with DIY customisation, utility and humour, including oversized workwear-inspired outerwear, relaxed cargo silhouettes and fish-inspired graphics. The campaign, photographed by India Sleem against a California landscape, with product and landscape imagery by Yudo Kurita, features Vans Skate Team rider Zion Wright, models Caylee Blosenski and Isabella Carr, and the musician Vans. FashionNetwork also covered the collection in the UK, and likewise dates it to 22 October.

The drop sits in a longer partnership. Vans’ parent company, VF Corporation, announced a multi-year creative partnership in August 2025, with SZA as Artistic Director, a move also reported by Hypebeast on 14 August 2025. Ahead of the October launch, Vans said SZA would make special in-store appearances in the US, at Vans Glendale Galleria in California on 17 October and Foot Locker at Freehold Raceway Mall in New Jersey on 21 October. No UK in-store appearance was listed on the official campaign pages.

A second drop is already dated. The official Vans US announcement says VANSZA Drop 2 arrives on 8 April 2027, including a new LX Tabi Hiker silhouette. A separate UK date for Drop 2 has not been confirmed on the Vans UK campaign page, which focuses on Drop 1. For now, Drop 1 is the one on the shelves: it is listed on Vans UK, with the mule at £75 and the Kickdown at £85. It is not the only musician-and-brand collaboration on the site this week: yesterday we also covered the PSG and Dreamville kit.

Why this matters: The first collection from SZA’s Vans Artistic Director role is already on the UK shop, with confirmed prices, and a second drop is dated for April.