SZA Named Artistic Director at Vans, Launches New Chapter in Fashion and Freedom

SZA’s creative evolution continues, this time in a pair of Knu Skools. The Grammy-winning artist and cultural tastemaker has officially been named Artistic Director for Vans in a multi-year creative partnership that merges her genre-defiant artistry with the brand’s rebellious DNA. Known for pioneering emotional vulnerability as a sonic language, SZA now steps into the design space to help shape the future of Vans’ campaigns and collections.

“In Vans, I feel free,” SZA shared in the announcement. “They’ve always had an ethos I connect with.”

The partnership kicks off with a campaign built around the Knu Skool silhouette, a chunky, skater-rooted classic she’s rocked for years, styled by Alejandra Hernandez and shot by Sophie Jones. The launch spot is deeply SZA: dreamy visuals, low-slung cool, and even a new unreleased track underscoring the piece. The campaign reflects her signature fusion of softness and edge, a vibe Vans perfectly distilled in their statement:

“SZA is a revolutionary artist shaping the emotional tone of a generation… She brings authenticity to the forefront, creating space for both softness and powerful expression.”

As Artistic Director, SZA promises to expand that ethos, bridging music, fashion, and culture with the same intentionality that made SOS a generational touchstone.

“Joy, community, creativity, and fashion are still intersectional,” she said. “That humanity, culture, and connection are still the access points.”

The Knu Skool, originally a late-’90s update to the Old Skool, returns with SZA’s stamp as both muse and maker. It’s priced at $80 and available now on vans.com and in retail stores.

The announcement arrives during a career high for SZA. Her sophomore album SOS just made Billboard history, becoming the first female album to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard 200’s Top 10. The album, now 8x platinum, debuted at No. 1 and expanded last December with a deluxe LANA edition that added 19 new tracks, including 30 for 30 with Kendrick Lamar. Fresh off a massive co-headlining tour with Lamar, SZA is now pivoting to visual storytelling, having made her big-screen debut in One of Them Days opposite Keke Palmer, a surprise box-office No. 1 in January.

In music, fashion, and film, SZA is rewriting what it means to be a modern artist: part icon, part instigator, all heart.