Which 1982 film helped popularize Vans checkerboard slip-on sneakers?

The 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High helped popularize Vans checkerboard slip-on sneakers.

The film includes Jeff Spicoli, played by Sean Penn, wearing recognizable Vans footwear. Spicoli’s laid-back surfer character connected the checkerboard pattern with Southern California youth style and helped bring wider attention to the shoe.

Vans had introduced its checkerboard slip-on in 1977 after a design idea from skateboarders who customized the brand’s plain slip-ons with a checker pattern. The shoe became closely associated with skateboarding, California, punk and alternative style.

The movie did not invent the checkerboard shoe, and its popularity also depended on Vans’ existing relationships with skateboarders. The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off are other 1980s films with famous fashion moments, but Fast Times at Ridgemont High is the film most specifically linked with the cultural visibility of Vans checkerboard slip-ons.