The future is bright for Vans, if you ask VF Corp. president and chief executive officer Bracken Darrell.
On the company’s third quarter earnings call on Wednesday, Darrell told analysts that Vans’ turnaround strategy is “starting to deliver” as VF remains focused on refreshing and upgrading the brand’s product lineup.
And despite revenue being down 10 percent in the third quarter of fiscal 2026 for Vans, the CEO noted that global digital e-commerce sales for the skate brand grew in the period for the first time in over four years, led by the Americas region.
“We’re really excited about the traffic we saw online [in Q3],” Darrell told analysts. “So, I think we’re just going to have to keep going. We continue to try to identify ways that we think we can start to bring the traffic up in our stores. And that’s kind of the holy grail, and when we get that going, look out. But right now, the traffic online is exciting to see.”
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As for product newness, the CEO noted that the quarter saw “consistently strong trends” delivered by newer styles like the Super Lowpro, the Skate Loafer and the Crosspath XC models. Signature silhouettes like the Authentic and the Slip-On also delivered improving trends in Q3, benefitting from “a rise in interest among the high fashion brands in skate-inspired shoes,” the CEO noted.
“We’ve really got strong interest in our very premium elevated product that we’re launching, which we’re bringing down into our channels and over time into the wholesale channels, too,” Darrell added. “It really does feel like the right kind of meaningful path. When I talk to the team that’s running the business, you could feel the enthusiasm they have for it. Now they’re admittedly living into the future. We live a year or two out.”
Another recent “win” for Vans came in December when the brand dropped its “K-Pop Demon Hunters” collaboration, just a few months after the movie hit the screens. “In this one, we showed how fast we can bring a product to market,” Darrell said. “We went from idea to store shelf in 10 weeks. We’re working on product creations [like this one] across our portfolio now for 2027.”
Overall, Darrell emphasized the need for patience. “We’re not going to push it. We’re not going to force anything. We’re going to let this thing really play out as it should. We’ve learned one thing about turnarounds. You don’t want to force a turnaround early. You want to let it develop, and we are letting it develop.”
