Drummer Brendan Canty has called out the ‘Vans and Fugazi‘ collaboration as “tone deaf”, and the footwear company has issued an apology for misleading the band’s fans.
The footwear brand recently announced a new “Vans and Fugazi” collaboration of trainers, which was a partnership between Vans and a luxury streetwear brand based in Los Angeles – not the post-hardcore band.
At first, it wasn’t clear to some fans that it wasn’t a partnership with the notoriously anti-consumerist group – leading to some being misled into thinking it was a collaboration with the band.
“Imagine thinking you landed a Fugazi collab only to discover it’s a completely different Fugazi,” one person wrote on X/Twitter, while another added: “I got really excited for a second”.
“I knew it was too good to be true since they never released merch to start with,” someone added on Instagram, and another person wrote: “Little too late. This was completely avoidable”.
To address the confusion, Fugazi’s label, Dischord Records – which was co-founded by the band’s own Ian MacKaye – confirmed that they are not working with the footwear company.
Imagine thinking you landed a Fugazi collab only to discover it’s a completely different Fugazi 😭
— The Analyst (@Jerry566f) June 25, 2026
I got really excited for a second 🥺
— ANTI AI GHOST OF EM ALL (@CaspaGoth) July 6, 2026
“I’m guessing someone from Vans will reach out to us,” they wrote. “We have nothing to do with this to be clear.”
Now, following the mishap, Vans have taken down the initial post and issued an apology to fans who were misled.
“Sorry for any confusion this past week. Fugazi the Band and Fugazi the clothing Brand are not connected,” said Steve Van Doren, VP of marketing and events for Vans. “I have deep respect for Ian MacKaye, his impact on music and his connection to Skateboarding.
“We spoke this morning and are looking at ways to support longtime skateboarders and giving back to the communities we both care deeply about.”
Ahead of the Vans apology, drummer Brendan Canty spoke to Consequence about the whole ordeal and called it “tone deaf.”
“There’s this fucking horrendous fashion company called Fugazi that’s been around for years, I guess. I noticed them up in New York at one point,” he told the outlet. “Now, there has been Fugazis throughout time… and ultimately it was an acronym that meant ‘Fucked up, got ambushed, zipped in.’ It was a Vietnam War era acronym.”
“So, I mean, it’s been around. I don’t begrudge anybody using it,” he added, before explaining how he was more upset by the seemingly “vindictive” nature of the campaign against the band.
“The fucking way that the guy held up the ‘Fugazi’ registered trademark, the guy from Vans, and the way that he was like, ‘Ha ha, we’ve got it’. I couldn’t figure out why he was acting vindictively against us,” the drummer continued. “It seemed like it was targeted towards us, and [we] kind of fucking felt like a corporate fucking mule.
“Of course the Vans guys know who Fugazi is. It’s mystifying, and it just seems stupid for them to do something [like that]. I was hurt by it, honestly. I was like, ‘Why is Vans doing this?’ I thought they were kind of like on the side of the angels, you know? But I guess not.”
Fugazi the band’s Brendan Canty on Vans’ collaboration with Fugazi the fashion brand: “It’s so tone deaf” https://t.co/r5UXW0jJ4O pic.twitter.com/tbbJbLlodh
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) July 6, 2026
Canty concluded: “It’s so tone deaf. I’m confused by it and it seems like people are equally confused by it out in the world, to the point where [they’re] confused and disgusted by it.”
Fugazi have famously never put their names to any official band merchandise or done any collaborations with any clothing companies.
The band released six studio albums within their career, with the final LP being 2001’s ‘The Argument’. Fugazi went on an “indefinite hiatus” following the end of their 2002 UK tour, following three sold-out shows at London’s O2 Forum in Kentish Town.
In 2024, Canty opened up about the potential of a reunion, revealing that there is “always a lingering chance” of the band coming back together.
“It becomes less and less likely, but there were times throughout the last 22 years that we have gotten together and played for sometimes a week at a time, and we always see each other in town, and we’re always working on other reissue projects,” he shared.
“I mean, we’re just in each other’s lives a lot so, you know, it’s not up to me whether we get the band back together. If it was up to me, we’d be out there playing, but it’s not that easy.”
Since then, the band have dropped the recording sessions from the ‘In On The Kill Taker’ album, and donated the proceeds to Letters Charity, a non-profit charity that supports families struggling with poverty.
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