VAN'S CO-FOUNDER JIM VAN DORAN, 72, PASSES

We are sad to report that James Van Doren, the co-founder of Vans canvas shoes that were embraced by the skateboard culture and became a nationwide sensation when Sean Penn wore a checkerboard pair in the 1982 movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," passed away earlier this month at the age of 72.

Jim started the iconic sneaker brand with his brother and a friend in 1964 in Anaheim, California. The shoes, with their thick soles and waffle-esque design that would become the brand's trademark, became wildly popular among the skateboarding culture that exploded in southern California in the early 1970s. He ran the company from 1976 to 1984.

Van Doren died of cancer at his Fullerton home on Oct. 12, his wife Char told The Associated Press on Thursday. Read the rest from the source link below.

Source: Transworld Business, Highsnobiety, LA Times, Businessweek, Huffington Post