Vans has partnered with Michelin for a limited edition sneaker collab which will be available exclusively through the tire brand's "Street Tread" contest. The goal of the partnership is to promote teen driver safety.
According to Michelin, four in 10 teen drivers are operating vehicles with tires that could be deemed unsafe. Additionally, 300,000 of the U.S.' 2.2 million yearly accidents involve teens driving with problematic tires.
"On the surface, it might seem like teens care very little about tread depth or air pressure, but when you dig a little deeper, you discover that they're very aware of the importance and the impact of these indicators—but only as it relates to their sneakers," Scott Clark, chairman and president of Michelin North America, said in a press release. "When we recognized this, we turned to one of the most popular and iconic sneaker manufacturers in the United States—Vans—and invited them to partner with us to help save teen lives."
Both the Vans Sk8-Hi and Vans Old Skool are built on blue and white checkerboard uppers, accompanied by the face of the Michelin man and yellow accents.
100 pairs of the Michelin x Vans sneakers will be up for grabs through the Street Tread contest, which asks consumers to post a photo on social media that demonstrates proper tire maintenance using the hashtag #StreetTreadContest or by entering here.