The "VANS" slip-ons I just bought the other day.
This is the 8th time I've bought the same shoe with the same pattern.
If you include different colors, it's probably the 20-somethingth time.
It's been decades since "ABC Mart" acquired the domestic sales license for VANS sneakers,
making them available in stores all over Japan.
You can always buy the standard slip-ons at your local ABC Mart.
During my middle school years, there was a "skater boom" and VANS sneakers became very popular.
At that time, not only Slip-ons but also SK8-Hi, Old Skool, and Half Cab were all the rage.
I used to go to local skate shops with my small allowance to buy them,
but later, when ABC Mart started focusing on VANS sales,
a wider variety became available.
Vans, a classic sneaker that rivals the popularity of "Converse All-Star" both then and now.
I prefer slip-ons because I find tying shoelaces troublesome for All-Stars,
and checked slip-ons are ultimately my favorite.
Solid colors are nice too, but similar items are sold cheaply elsewhere,
so these sneakers, which I can buy without trying on, are my go-to item.
About 20 years ago, slip-ons released in collaboration with "Marc Jacobs" were leather with multi-colored patterns, even though they had the same checked pattern.
I bought about 3 pairs of those and wore them all out, and I could even resell them for a profit—
it really was a good era.
When I told my nephew, who recently became interested in fashion, about this,
he was a little taken aback, asking, "Why do you buy the same thing so many times?"
As you get older, you find comfort in your own staples rather than searching for new things,
and above all, it feels convenient and easy.
It's a feeling close to "predilection" to keep replacing them.
Only those who have found their own staples will understand this.
And since I can buy them just a short walk away,
perhaps this is a very good era in its own way.
