Vans have been synonymous with skateboarding culture ever since their introduction in 1966. Despite a few lines selling unsuccessfully in the 1980s and resulting in bankruptcy, Vans has been able to get its act together and once more sell shoes all around the world. Today, Vans slip-ons have become popular in the hipster community. But whether you're looking for slip-ons or plain old tennis shoes, you can easily customize any Vans shoe to your individual taste.

Start by going to the official Vans website, vans.com, and selecting your country.

Select "shop" once you arrive on the landing page. You will see a link underneath that says "Custom Shoes." Click on that link.

Decide which type of shoe you want. You will be asked to choose between a slip-on or two styles of tennis shoes.

Select your gender and shoe size. Click "Next."

Choose whether you want to start your base color with black or white. Click on the shoe you want. Underneath you will find "Inspiration," or shoes that have already been customized. You can click those and order them or proceed with creating your own.

Begin to customize your shoe. Click on "Vamp" to customize the top of the shoe. You can roll over each of the selections to preview how it will look. Click "Quarter" to customize the sides of the shoe. Click "Heel Counter" to customize the back portion of the shoe. The "Foxing" refers to the rubber area between the shoe and the sole and the "Foxing Stripe" refers to the stripe between the area. Depending on which shoe you chose, you will be able to customize the tongue, lace, eyelets or inner elastic on the shoe.

Click and order. Most of the shoes run for about $60 USD.