Artist Ron English visits UBIQ ahead of exclusive Vans release

In a first of its kind event, UBIQ hosted legendary photographer and street artist Ron English on Walnut Street to help debut the Vans he designed for the Philadelphia-based sneaker boutique. He took to the backroom in the shoe store, which was decked out in psychedelic English originals, and comically detailed everything from the "Fabricated to be Photographed" movement from which he got his start, to designing propaganda for the Obama campaign, to creating Chris Brown's "Fame" album cover to the reason we were all gathered in the hor dourve-filled space on Friday, June 19: the UBIQ x Vault by Vans x Ron English "Camo Deer" shoe collection.

It's not the "Abraham Obama" artist's first time in the City of Brotherly love--he said his first show was here with fellow artist and DJ, AJ Wright. So returning to offer an impressive recap of his career is like a 360 for English.

For the UBIQ x Vault by Vans x Ron English, English took one of his 100 politically and socially powered Popaganda characters which includes the aforementioned "Abraham Obama," "Cathy Cowgirl" and "Temper Tot," and created the shoe. The character he used to execute the second ever UBIQ x Vault by Vans collaboration which includes the Sk8-Hi LX and Era LX shoe was "Camo Deer." Quite literally, it is a deer coated in camouflage print.

Said English about the design, "Hunters have camo and they don't get shot at. If anybody should have camo, it's the deer."

"Camo Deer" changes with the season, and the fall installment of the character was used for the Vans collaboration which launched Saturday, June 20 in store and online at 10 a.m. Only 500 pairs of each type of the limited edition shoe are available.

The Sk8-Hi LX "Camo Deer" Vans are available exclusively at UBIQ stores and online at ubiqlife.com for $90 and the Era LX "Camo Deer" Vans are $85.