The original name of the Vans Era was Style 95 when the skate shoe debuted in 1976.
Vans developed the model with input from skateboarders Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. It followed the earlier Vans Authentic and added padded collars, giving skaters extra ankle comfort and support. The shoe’s construction made it especially well suited to skateboarding.
Vans originally identified its products by style numbers rather than the lifestyle names that later became familiar. Style 95 eventually became known as the Era, a name that is now much more recognizable than its original numerical designation.
The Era is sometimes confused with the Old Skool, which arrived in 1977 as Vans Style 36 and introduced the company’s side stripe. Because both became foundational skate shoes, their early style numbers are often mixed up.