The Vans Half Cab is one of the most instantly recognisable silhouettes in the history of skate shoes, and although it may be Steve Caballero’s pro-shoe, it lends itself to an almost bottomless pit of colourway options. This makes it a fantastic candidate for signature colourways and brand collaborations, which is a fairly odd place for a pro-shoe to find itself. However, Vans don’t seem to mind, and I guess neither does Cab, why would he? It only helps keep his pro-shoe of over 30 years ticking along nicely, maintaining its relevance in the incredibly fickle market of skate shoes.
This August, we have all been blessed with a brand new signature colourway of the Half Cab, and this time it’s Pedro Delfino who has managed to get his mitts on the iconic shoe. Before we delve into the colourway itself, let’s take a look into how Pedro has managed to get his name (well, a part of it at least) onto the back of the legendary shoe.
Who is Pedro Delfino
Pedro Delfino was born in Miami and spent his childhood growing up in Boca Raton, Florida, skating at his local park, (the Tim Huxhold Skatepark) from the age of 9. Funnily enough, this park was designed by a rollerblader, which resulted in the park being pretty gnarly for skating. In an interview for Thrasher, Pedro describes the park, stating, “It had big-ass rails, a really big kinked rail, a double set, a kinked hubba and a bunch of hips. It had a horseshoe-shaped bowl, so it was really well rounded but also not built to scale for skateboarders”. If you are aware of Pedro’s skating, you will know exactly why I mentioned it was funny that this park design was super gnarly, it’s because he is super gnarly. Having a local skatepark such as that encourages one of two things, either you decide it is just too scary and don’t bother or you step up and handle business. I think we all know which path Pedro took…
Once Pedro had cut his teeth at his local park, as well as getting pretty handy on a vert ramp, it wasn’t long until he found himself getting flowed product from DLX. After a few years, one thing led to another, and whilst still pretty unknown Pedro found himself on the February 2018 Thrasher Magazine cover. Usually, the cover of Thrasher is something only pre-established names in the industry find themselves on, so for them to use a photo of Pedro at the time meant the trick and/or photo had to be something special. I think we can all agree that those requirements were met. That boardslide is just unbelievably sketchy. It makes me wonder how many times skaters have gone past the spot and paid it no mind. Regardless, Pedro handled it, and from there on out 2018 only got better and better for him. Not only did Pedro finish 42nd in Tampa Am, but he also found himself levelling up from being a flow rider for DLX to being a big-name AM on one of the most well-loved brands in the industry – Deathwish Skateboards.
Getting on Deathwish Skateboards
Whilst on Jamie Foy’s SOTY trip in Australia, Lizard King made it his ultimate goal to get Pedro on the team. From the very first day, Lizard, who had already got the green light from the rest of the team, hounded Pedro for an answer as to whether or not he would join Deathwish. Most skaters in this situation would of course take the offer without a thought, even if it was just to get Lizard to shut up. However, Pedro’s dream sponsor whilst he was growing up was Anti Hero, so deciding to ditch his DLX hook-up was no easy decision to make. Eventually though, once they were on the 13-hour plane trip home, Lizard gave the final ultimatum, letting Pedro know he had until the end of the flight to give him an answer, and luckily for Deathwish, Pedro decided to join the ranks. I wonder if this was the first-ever raw-dogged flight? No films, no food or water just a man looking at the seat in front of him, mulling over one of the biggest decisions of his life so far!
That Thrasher cover and making his name
By October 2018, Deathwish dropped Pedro’s welcome to the team part, which similar to his Thrasher cover, sparked a caveman-esque emotion inside anyone who saw it. Some of the clips, as well as the slams included, really made this part feel as though it was life or death. Almost like watching a horror film, you didn’t know whether to look or hide, worried for the protagonist’s life. The only difference was that there was no monster trying to kill him, just spots that would easily write you off if you got it wrong. Be it hill bombs, huge hubba’s or stair sets, Pedro attacked them all. Perhaps he was the monster? All I know for certain is that his Thrasher cover and his Welcome to Deathwish part both set the world on fire that year.
Since 2018, Pedro has well and truly kept that fire lit, consistently releasing jaw-dropping parts and reminding us all how gnarly the dude is. Not long after his explosion onto the main stage, Pedro found himself turning pro for Deathwish and becoming one of those names being called out whenever anyone finds a spot that requires you to have zero self-preservation. Similar to someone seeing a huge handrail and exclaiming “Where’s the Muska?!”.
By this point, Pedro Delfino was one of skateboarding’s most loved characters, not only does the guy rip, but he genuinely seems like someone you would just wanna hang out with at the local spot. He is the perfect pro in many ways, he rips, he is incredibly likeable and he just seems to love skateboarding. The perfect recipe for someone who deserves their own signature colourway on the legendary Vans Half Cab!
When reading up on Pedro, I can’t seem to find anything to do with him loving hunting, but I have seen him rock a camo t-shirt a good couple of times. Maybe that was the inspiration for the colourway he designed. To be honest, I’m not overly fussed about what the catalyst was for him to go for this brown suede and camo canvas design, I just know I really, really like it. This is good because there’s not much worse than really loving a pro skater only for their signature shoe or colourway to drop and you just can’t get down with it. Did I just accidentally confess my burning love for Pedro? Maybe.
The shoe itself
Anyway, as just mentioned, this Half Cab colourway has a deep brown suede upper with camouflage canvas underlays, adorned with all the classic Half Cab details as well as ‘DRO’ being embossed on the heel of both shoes. All of this sat atop a dark gum sole unit really makes for a beautiful shoe, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t much of a camo fan! As with all of Vans’ premium Half Cabs, these of course come with all the technology you need to keep both yourself and your shoes skating for as long as possible. Vans have mastered the art of durability, comfort and performance with their skate-specific models, with them all being packed to the gills with tech such as their SICKSTICK rubber compound sole unit, DURACAP layer of protection under the toe of the shoe and of course, their POPCUSH insoles for ultimate impact protection.
Pedro is a modern legend, with a name known across the globe due to his brain-melting bravery when it comes to skating spots deemed too gnarly for most, as well as his surprisingly sick transitional skills. It was only a matter of time before he got his name on a shoe and it only seems fitting to have it on a shoe originally designed by another absolute legend, Steve Caballero. Maybe one day Pedro will have his very own shoe, he certainly deserves it!
