The rise of sneaker culture is usually credited to basketball and hip-hop-as if nobody would be wearing kicks if it hadn't been for Michael Jordan and Run-D.M.C. Skateboarders, though, have cared about form and function for as long as any hoops star or Sucka MC. And you can't talk about skate sneakers unless you start with Vans, which was founded in 1966 by a Southern Californian named Paul Van Doren. The early shoes caught on with surfers who liked the personalization and cachet the company offered. "Back in the day, you could roll into one of our shops with a shirt and say, ‘I want to make shoes out of this,' and we'd make them," says Vans footwear director Steve Mills. Vans' breakthrough came during the early 1980s, when the Dogtown skate scene and a memorable performance by Sean Penn in checked Slip-Ons propelled the brand to pop-culture icon. "We were the first to take skaters to rock star status," says Mills, who points to deals with Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. "They had us kicking it with Zeppelin." Since then, Vans' status hasn't exactly, um, slipped. The company celebrates its 40th anniversary with the bulletproof Ballistic Pack and the boutique friendly Syndicate line. And for its 12th year as Warped Tour cosponsors, Vans is collaborating with metal/punk legends Motörhead and the Descendents. Future hand-me-downs for the ages.