Vans

“You Had to Be There” - Campaign Concept for Vans

You Had to Be There is a tribute to a time before hashtags, before group chats, before the internet told us how to remember things. This campaign isn’t about going viral—it’s about what happened when no one was watching.

It’s rooted in backyard skate parties, drained pools, and the kind of summer days that only feel perfect in hindsight. You Had to Be There captures the raw energy of early skate culture—the sound of wheels on concrete, the sting of hot pavement, and the joy of showing up with nothing planned and everything possible.

This isn’t really about skateboarding. It’s about what skateboarding made possible—first crushes, bruised shins, dumb jokes, real friendship, and a kind of freedom that didn’t need an audience.

Everything in this campaign—from the visuals to the language to the textures—is designed to feel like something pulled from a dusty drawer. A burnt CD. A sticker-covered VHS. A memory that almost disappeared.

Because if you weren’t there? You missed it.
And if you were...You still miss it.