Everybody's favourite sneaker brand Vans celebrated women's day with much excitement and empowerment. The skateboard brand sent pro skater and Tony Hawk protogé Lizzie Armanto to India to show the girls a thing or two in their local skate park. This was part of their campaign called Girls Skate India in which Vans was spotlighting women and girl skateboarders around the world.

First launched in 2017, This is Off the Wall showcased the essence of “Off the Wall” through a diverse set of stories, shining a light on the various forms of creativity Vans has always supported. This year, Vans is taking a closer look at creative communities around the world through a comprehensive campaign of video content and activation platforms that uplifts their pillars of action sports, art, music and street culture, inviting everyone to participate.

“We wanted to tell stories about the communities that grow around creative endeavours, whether it’s skateboarding, art, or music, these activities connect people with one another,” said Jamie Reilly, Vans Vice President of Global Creative. “Vans has been engaging with creatives around the world for more than 50 years. Whether it’s making the first shoes for skateboarders, building skateparks, hosting concerts, or putting on art shows, we love how creativity brings individuals together where they can learn from and inspire each other.”

Beginning from 8th March 2018, Vans hosted over 100 skateboarding clinics for girls and women in major cities including Brooklyn, Chicago, London, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Bangalore, São Paulo, and Mexico City. The clinics were open to skateboarders of all skill levels, from beginner to expert. All women were welcome to join in the fun and become a part of the growing women’s skate community all across the globe.

In India, like many places around the world, girls are expected to follow societal norms. But for Atita Verghese, skateboarding has opened up a whole new world of possibilities and led to the foundation of Girl Skate India. She, therefore, teamed up with Lizzie, who serves as an inspiration and role model to a generation of girls including the locals in India. The pair led a ‘girls-to-skate’ workshop in Bangalore that taught the girls more than how to skate - it taught them how to be fearless, take risks, and the empowerment to push past expectations.

“Girls Skate India” captures the power that skate culture can have on a community. In living by its ethos of enabling creative expression and to share the philosophy of “Girls Skate India”, Vans mobilized around the world to teach women and girls how to skateboard through a series of global skate clinics. This initiative invited women to learn something new alongside their peers and together inspire a new wave of women’s skateboarding progression. From experts to beginners, Vans welcomed everyone to these clinics and encouraged the emerging women’s skate community to come together and celebrate creativity.