Tattoo artist puts his pen to Vans and catches eye of Snoop Dogg

“I have to admit that this pair stressed me out a little bit. I spent an extra day and plenty of sweat on them.”

What could have caused such anxiety in a small town tattoo artist, who took to creating individual designs on white Vans during the corona crisis, which are selling like hotcakes? An order from Snoop Dogg, one of the most famous rappers in the world.

Jadran Beauprez owns the tattoo shop Golden Mirror in Sint-Gillis-Waas, East Flanders. Out of work due to the corona crisis, he channelled his creativity into drawing a tattoo-like design on a pair of white Vans. He put them online, and someone bought them the same day.

Well, thought Beauprez, maybe I’ll do that a few more times. “It’s a really fun way to keep up your skills when you can’t actually tattoo anyone,” he told VRT.

Snoop Dogg sports his Beauprez Vans in a recent photo shoot with his wife, Shante Broadus

The famous Vans classic slip-ons are made from a canvas similar to the type used by painters, explains Beauprez. He primes them and creates his designs with markers, then puts a varnish over the top. “Then you can wear them, even in the rain.”

Beauprez is a big fan of heavy metal music, reflected in a lot of his designs. An acquaintance of his in Antwerp is the bassist in the band Fear Factory, and he made a few pair with their band name using their graphic style.

That bassist also plays with American hip-hop group Cypress Hill, whose frontman B-Real ordered a pair for himself. One thing led to another, and Snoop Dog laid his eyes on a pair of the made-to-order Vans. An assistant was soon sending a message to Sint-Gillis-Waas.

“Insane, right?” says Beauprez. “He sent through some photos to show how he wanted them to look, basically with him and his wife on them. Something ‘couple-like’. So that’s what I did.”

Snoop Dogg is apparently satisfied, wearing the shoes in a recent photo shoot – together with said wife. Couple like.

Photos courtesy Jadran Beauprez