Todd Harder Talks Nibwaakaawin x Vans Collab & All Nations Skate Jam

Fans of fashion will tell you that Pendleton fabric and collaborative sneakers have been trending for more than a few years. While the Nibwaakaawin x Vans “All Nations Skate Jam” Collection carries both hot characteristics, its inspiration and impact is much deeper than any fresh fad or sold out sneaker.

Created in conjunction with the All Nations Skate Jam event by Nibwaakaawin founder Todd Harder and Vans vet Steve Van Doren, the annual capsule collection finds sneakers and skateboarding serving as a platform to inspire Native American youth. We caught up with Harder, that’s the man in the the lead image next to Johnny Depp, who has been doing plenty of leading of his own prior to this weekend’s All Nations Skate Jam and Nibwaakaawin x Vans capsule collection release, to hear the story behind the kicks and the event.

Snkrs Day: How did the Nibwaakaawin x Vans collaboration come about?

Todd Harder: In the second year of the All Nations Skate Jam, Steve Van Doren and the Vans crew came down and set up at the event. Steve fell in love with it. He handed stuff out to kids and at the end he’s cooking for every kid. He told me after the first year that he’d never gotten so many ‘thank you’s.’ I told him that’s the way Indian country is – they still have those old values. One of the years we were talking about a collab and what kind of products or fabric would be culturally significant and I started talking about Pendleton and how it’s become culturally significant to us.

Snkrs Day: What makes Pendleton so important to the Native American culture?

Todd Harder: They make a lot of fine wools but they also make the nicest Indian blankets. For us, one of our highest honoring ceremonies in the Indian country is to give someone a blanket. It’s a gift given for a big accomplishment. This dates back to the days when blankets were crucial for our survival. By giving a blanket, you were telling this person that they were so important and so loved that you were giving them this blanket so that they would make it through the winter. We still do this these days for babies. Pendelton makes the Cadillac of blankets in Indian country.

Highlights from previous Nibwaakaawin x Vans “All Nations Skate Jam” Collections

Snkrs Day: What part did Steve Van Doren play in kicking off the collab?

Todd Harder: Steve took some fabric over to the factory years ago and made about ten pairs for the first run of them. I got them and everywhere I went in Indian country people were stopping me, saying, “Oh my God, where did you get those shoes?” They even became Steve’s favorite shoes. He wore them for some TV appearances and events. We decided to test it out.

Snkrs Day: What was the response like when you finally made them available?

Todd Harder: The first year we did them we made up 325 pairs. He brought them to the event and I told him I wanted more, but he said, “I don’t want you stuck with shoes, let’s just test the waters.” They sold out in two hours. Each year we pick out from different Pendelton and different colors. We have people coming from all over just to get these shoes.