Vans SK8-Hi | Black White Checkerboard | VN0A38GEUPV

The High-Top. In Checkerboard.

The Vans SK8-Hi (VN0A38GEUPV) in Black/White Checkerboard is one of the most iconic and most recognizable colorways in the entire Vans catalog — a shoe that takes the SK8-Hi’s already commanding high-top silhouette and covers its upper half in the black-and-white checkerboard pattern that has been synonymous with Vans since the brand’s earliest days. The checkerboard pattern — Vans’ most iconic graphic, predating the Jazz Stripe as the brand’s most culturally significant design element — is applied to the SK8-Hi’s heel counter and high-top collar in large-scale squares that read as bold graphic blocks from a distance and as a precise, geometric pattern up close. The black canvas lower half, white Jazz Stripe Sidestripe, and white midsole ground the checkerboard upper in the SK8-Hi’s classic Black/White structure, creating a shoe that is simultaneously the most classic and most graphic version of Vans’ most iconic high-top.

Product Highlights

• 🎨 Colorway: Black Canvas Lower Upper × Black/White Checkerboard Heel & Collar × White Jazz Stripe Sidestripe × White Laces × White Midsole & Outsole — the most iconic and most graphic SK8-Hi colorway
• ⬛⬜ Black/White Checkerboard Pattern: Vans’ most iconic graphic — a large-scale black-and-white checkerboard pattern applied to the SK8-Hi’s heel counter and high-top collar. The checkerboard’s bold, geometric squares create a graphic statement that is immediately recognizable as Vans from any distance, and that has been a defining element of skate and street culture since the 1970s. The large-scale squares — significantly bigger than the fine checkerboard of the Classic Slip-On — give the pattern a more graphic, more fashion-forward quality that suits the SK8-Hi’s commanding silhouette
• ⬛ Black Canvas Lower Upper: Lightweight black canvas at the toe cap and lateral lower panel — providing the clean, minimal base that makes the checkerboard heel and collar pop with maximum graphic contrast. The black canvas’s solid color grounds the checkerboard pattern’s visual complexity, giving the shoe a clear visual hierarchy: solid black below, graphic checkerboard above
• 🔷 White Jazz Stripe Sidestripe: The classic Vans Jazz Stripe in white — the SK8-Hi’s most iconic structural detail, providing a clean white accent that bridges the black canvas lower and the checkerboard upper while maintaining the shoe’s classic Black/White palette
• 📍 High-Top Construction: The SK8-Hi’s defining characteristic — a full high-top collar that rises above the ankle bone for maximum ankle support and the most substantial silhouette presence in the Vans lineup. The high-top construction is the SK8-Hi’s most distinctive feature, and in the Checkerboard colorway, the collar’s height gives the checkerboard pattern maximum surface area to make its graphic statement
• 🔲 Vulcanized Construction: Vans’ signature vulcanized sole construction — bonding the white rubber outsole directly to the upper for a low-profile, board-feel connection that has defined Vans footwear since 1966
• 🤝 Unisex Sizing: Available in unisex sizing — the SK8-Hi’s classic last fits both men and women
• 🏷️ Style Code: VN0A38GEUPV

The Checkerboard Story

The Vans checkerboard pattern is one of the most culturally significant graphics in sneaker history — a pattern that has been associated with Vans since the late 1970s, when skaters began customizing their Vans with the black-and-white checkerboard that would become the brand’s most iconic visual identity. The checkerboard’s association with skate culture, punk music, and the Southern California lifestyle that Vans embodies has made it a permanent fixture in the brand’s catalog and a reference point for generations of designers, artists, and cultural figures. On the SK8-Hi — Vans’ most commanding silhouette — the checkerboard pattern reaches its most graphic and most impactful expression.

Best For

Skate culture enthusiasts · Vans heritage collectors · Streetwear & lifestyle styling · Wearers who want the SK8-Hi’s full ankle support in the most iconic Vans graphic · Unisex wearers who want a high-top with maximum visual impact

Sizing Guide

Available in US sizes 4.5 – 9.5 (including half sizes). Unisex sizing — women typically size down 1.5 sizes from their standard women’s size. Contact us for sizing assistance.