Vans Old Skool 36 Souvenir 'Black/White' (VN000E8VEMV) — Limited Edition Classic Skate Sneaker

What Is the Vans Old Skool 36 Souvenir ‘Black/White’?

The Vans Old Skool 36 Souvenir ‘Black/White’ (Style Code: VN000E8VEMV) is the most essential colorway in the Souvenir Pack — Vans’s limited-edition collection that frames the Old Skool as a collectible cultural artifact. Built on the Old Skool 36 — an anniversary-refined iteration of the original 1977 Old Skool that carries the shoe’s founding style number — the ‘Black/White’ colorway is the same high-contrast combination that has defined the silhouette since its debut. If the Oatmeal LX edition is the collector’s neutral, the Black/White Souvenir is the purist’s essential: the original colorway, on the anniversary silhouette, in a limited pack that treats it as the cultural landmark it is. At $149, it is priced identically to the LX Oatmeal but without the LX designation — the Souvenir suffix here indicates pack membership and premium materials within the standard tier rather than the LX luxury construction level.

Quick Facts

• Brand: Vans (Anaheim, California — est. 1966)
• Style: Old Skool 36 Souvenir
• Style Code: VN000E8VEMV
• Pack: Souvenir Pack
• Colorway: Black / White
• Silhouette origin: Old Skool, 1977 — first Vans shoe with the Jazz Stripe (Style #36)
• Upper: Premium suede and canvas — elevated Souvenir Pack materials
• Outsole: Vans waffle rubber — original waffle sole design since 1966
• Edition: Limited — Souvenir Pack
• Gender: Unisex (US M4–11.5 / W5.5–13 / EU 35–45)
• Price: $149
• Category: Premium Lifestyle Sneaker / Skate Heritage
• Fit: True to size; between sizes, size up half

Specs & Construction

The Black/White Old Skool — Why It Is the Original

The Black/White combination is not simply a colorway on the Old Skool — it is the Old Skool’s original expression. When Paul Van Doren introduced Style #36 in 1977, the high-contrast black upper with white Jazz Stripe and white waffle sole was the defining visual identity of the shoe. Every other Old Skool colorway — from Navy to Checkerboard to the most limited collaboration releases — is a variation on this foundation. The black canvas and suede upper grounds the shoe’s structure; the white Jazz Stripe provides the graphic punctuation; the white waffle sole completes the contrast. In nearly five decades, no iteration of the Old Skool has displaced Black/White as the definitive colorway. On the Old Skool 36 Souvenir, Black/White is the most historically faithful choice: the anniversary edition in the founding colors, presented as a collectible object that acknowledges what it represents.

Souvenir Pack — Black/White vs. LX Oatmeal

The Vans Old Skool — History and Cultural Significance

The Vans Old Skool was introduced in 1977, designed by Vans co-founder Paul Van Doren. As Style #36, it was the first Vans shoe to feature the hand-drawn Jazz Stripe — a swooping side panel Van Doren sketched freehand on a prototype. Vans was founded in 1966 in Anaheim, California by Paul Van Doren and Gordon Lee as Van Doren Rubber Company, a factory-direct brand that made and sold shoes on-site from day one. The Old Skool’s waffle rubber outsole — derived from Van Doren’s observation that a waffle iron pattern would provide superior skate grip — has remained essentially unchanged for nearly six decades. The shoe became central to California skate culture in the late 1970s and 1980s, was adopted by punk and new wave subcultures, and has since crossed into mainstream global fashion while retaining its skate credentials. The Old Skool 36 Souvenir honors this lineage in its most historically grounded form: the founding style number, the founding colorway, in a limited pack designed to be kept.

The ‘Old Skool 36’ and ‘Souvenir’ Designations — Explained

Old Skool 36: The ‘36” refers to Vans’s original internal style number for the Old Skool — Style #36 — assigned at its 1977 debut. Its use in anniversary and premium editions signals archival intent: this is the shoe in its most historically connected form, not a generalized mainline release.

Souvenir Pack: The Souvenir Pack concept positions the Old Skool as a memento of skate and street culture history — something to keep because of what it represents. Souvenir Pack releases use elevated materials over standard mainline, are produced in limited quantities, and are distributed through select retailers. The framing is deliberate: a souvenir is not a product you consume; it is an object that carries memory and meaning.

Who Is the Vans Old Skool 36 Souvenir ‘Black/White’ For?

This shoe is for the Vans buyer who wants the most historically faithful version of the most iconic silhouette. It is for the skate culture enthusiast who knows that Black/White is not just a colorway but the original statement, for the collector who wants both Souvenir Pack editions — the neutral Oatmeal LX for daily wear, the Black/White for its cultural primacy — and for the everyday buyer who simply needs the best version of the best Old Skool and understands that “best” means staying closest to the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the style code for the Vans Old Skool 36 Souvenir ‘Black/White’?
A: The style code is VN000E8VEMV.

Q: What is the difference between the Old Skool 36 Souvenir and the Old Skool 36 LX?
A: Both are part of the Souvenir Pack collection. The Old Skool 36 LX (Oatmeal, VN000E8V2N1) carries the LX (Luxury) designation — Vans’s highest construction tier with elevated premium materials. The Old Skool 36 Souvenir (Black/White, VN000E8VEMV) is part of the Souvenir Pack but without the LX designation, featuring premium materials within the standard tier. Both are limited editions at the same $149 price point.

Q: Does the Vans Old Skool 36 Souvenir ‘Black/White’ fit true to size?
A: Yes, true to size for most wearers. Vans sizing is consistent with standard US sizing. Buyers between sizes may prefer to go up half a size. Available in US Men’s 4–11.5 / Women’s 5.5–13 / EU 35–45.

Q: What is the Vans Souvenir Pack?
A: The Souvenir Pack is a Vans limited-edition collection that treats the Old Skool as a cultural souvenir — an object that carries the weight of nearly five decades of skate and street culture history. Souvenir Pack releases use elevated materials and are distributed in limited quantities through select premium retailers.

Q: What does ‘Old Skool 36’ mean?
A: ‘36” refers to the Old Skool’s original Vans internal style number — Style #36 — assigned when the shoe debuted in 1977. Its use on premium and anniversary editions is a heritage signal that connects the release to its archival origin.

Q: Why is Black/White considered the original Old Skool colorway?
A: Black/White is the colorway in which the Old Skool (Style #36) was first introduced in 1977. It is the founding expression of the silhouette — the specific combination of black canvas/suede upper, white Jazz Stripe, and white waffle sole that defined the shoe’s visual identity from day one. All other Old Skool colorways are variations on this foundation.

Q: What is the Jazz Stripe on the Vans Old Skool?
A: The Jazz Stripe is Vans’s iconic side stripe, hand-drawn by founder Paul Van Doren on the original 1977 Old Skool prototype. It is one of the most recognized design elements in sneaker history and the primary visual identifier of the Old Skool silhouette across all colorways and editions.