Earlier this week, Supreme officially announced a set of Vans in collaboration with artist Nate Lowman featuring bullet hole graphics across their uppers. The collection, which also includes bullet hole-covered apparel, was set to release Thursday, but the launch never took place.
Prior to the sneakers’ scheduled release, the posts announcing them were removed from Supreme’s website and Instagram. Without an announcement, the shoes did not appear on Supreme’s online store when they were meant to, and there are no listings for them on secondary market platforms such as eBay, Grailed, and StockX.
The timing of their removal suggests that Supreme and Vans rethought the optics around releasing bullet hole-themed sneakers coming off a weekend that saw several horrific mass shootings unfold in America. Heavy in the headlines was a shooting that took place at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, where 7 people were killed and 46 were wounded.
Lowman has worked with Supreme before, and his art features in a couple of the shop’s retail locations. Bullet hole graphics have been a common theme in his work throughout the years.
Complex reached out to Supreme and Vans for comment, but neither brand responded.
