A Night in New York with Little Simz and Vans
On the occasion of the launch of its newest version of the Knu Skool, Vans has conquered the Big Apple
September 5th, 2023
Arriving for the first time in a city like New York is a bit like daydreaming. A city full of lights, chaotic and eclectic, where it is impossible to get bored and where you spend most of your time looking upward. Impossible to attempt to draw comparisons with any other city, New York is a forward-looking metropolis that never sleeps. That may be one of the reasons why, to present its new Knu Stack, Vans chose the American city itself, organizing an event that combined fashion and music.
An exclusive concert in the heart of Brooklyn with chief guest London rapper Little Simz. The artist we first got to know with "Sometimes I Might Be Introvert" with which she surprisingly won the 2022 Mercury Prize, bypassing records that had dominated every chart like those of Harry Styles, Sam Fender, Self Esteem, Wet Leg, and many others.
A voice, that of Little Simz, about which there is already a lot of talk and for which essential comparisons such as the one with Lauryn Hill have been discomfited. Not only that, the rapper has quickly conquered the biggest names in the music scene, first participating in Gorillaz's live shows for the Humanz World Tour in 2017 or alongside stars such as Alicia Keys and Jay-Z during London Fashion Week in February 2023. The main guest of the evening, the artist first gave the audience some hits from his fourth album, "I Might Be Introvert," closing the live show with his latest work "No Thank You."
Just as Vans' shoes represent a true nostalgic look at footwear-of which the Knu Skools are just the latest example, Little Simz's music in its sounds also winks at the past, as evidenced by his grime mixed with reggae, blues, and R&B jazz. A collaboration that was not limited to just the concert at Baby's All Right, but literally invaded New York with billboards and murals between Brooklyn, Times Square, and other city hubs. It was an experience hard to forget, a journey in the company of one of the best voices of recent years in a setting as unique as New York City.