In 1982, then 21-year-old actor Sean Penn wandered into the Vans store in Santa Monica and bought himself a pair of checkerboard Vans. He liked them so much that he wore them to the set of Fast Times, for which he'd just been cast, and talked director Amy Heckerling into letting him wear them on camera.

Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams.