Van Doren and his partners, including his brother James Van Doren, dabbled in the retail world after founding the Van Doren Rubber Company in 1966, The Orange County Register reported.
“It is with a heavy heart that Vans announces the passing of our co-founder Paul Van Doren,” the company said in a statement.
We send our love and strength to the Van Doren family and the countless Vans Family members who have brought Paul’s legacy to life.
On that first day, the Van Dorens forgot to put money in the cash register, the newspaper reported.
Born June 12, 1930, in Boston, Van Doren left school at 16 to work in a local shoe factory, the Times reported.
The Van Doren brothers sold the company for $396 million in 2004 to VF Corp., which also owns Supreme, The North Face, Timberland, Dickies, Eastpak and Jansport, KTTV reported.