Inside Slam Jam and Vans’ new artist hangout

Affordable studio space in cities is like gold dust. Unless you manage to wangle a jammy deal off a friend-of-a-friend – or you’re sitting on an unannounced pot of money – you usually accept a dent in your pay packet as par for the course. Often, for a very sketchy lock-up. Worse still, you end up on an endless waiting list.

This is what makes Slam Jam and Vans’ new hybrid space, The Checkered Home, such a welcome proposition. Named after the footwear brand’s iconic chessboard-style motif, the space offers creatives a temporary residency to give their ideas a new lease of life.

For now, The Checkered Home is housed inside Slam Jam’s Milan flagship. It’s a great place to start. The Italian fashion capital is currently experiencing skyrocketing rent. However, eventually, the vision is for the program to be a roving concept that covers the globe, giving local artists a coveted chance at getting a foot in the door.

It’s not just free digs, either. The project continues the two brands’ long history of collaboration – recently with LA skate label FUCT – and a shared commitment to the underground. Residents can make use of a selection of not-for-sale goods to customise or wear as they see fit. (They can also expense necessary materials and swing open the doors to punters for open-studio events.)

The inaugural tenants are Cimitero Celeste, a Milan-based band at the vanguard of dungeon synth – that strange buzzy genre combining black metal and medieval scales. Online, they exist solely in the dark, dank corners of Bandcamp. All their profile tells us, really, is that they’re ​“100 per cent DIY” and, look away tabletop gamers, think Dungeons & Dragons should get fucked.

Now, IRL, they have their very own lair to hammer out new tunes and – by the looks of things – anarchic banners and gothic zines, too. On 5 April 2025 from 7pm, they’ll be showcasing their new work at The Checkered Home in a live performance open to all.

Vans and Slam Jam will then hand over the keys to another arty bunch. Any type of artist is game: sculptors, painters, photographers, stylists and, of course, other ​“raw, ambient, black metal dungeon synth” crews on the circuit.

The opportunity is a godsend. Free spaces that don’t require any dodgy DIY are few and far between. The best part? It’s giving creatives a chance to experiment in a studio, as well as other visiting creatives the option to experience the fruits of their labour – again, all for nothing.

We’re very excited to see where The Checkered Home goes next. Just saying, London’s lovely this time of year…