You may not know it yet, but the coolest shoes right now are the ones your dad already owns. If you closely observe the sneaker trends in the industry right now, you will likely come across a lot of chunky retro-inspired sneakers. These sneakers are commonly referred to as “dad” shoes for their bulky design and thick soles, but, surprisingly, they have been adopted by both high-end luxury houses and athletic sportswear companies.
Understandably, many people hate these shoes and prefer companies to go back to elegant, streamlined shoes. Nike’s Air Monarch shoes have been credited with starting the trend decades ago while New Balance popularized this design aesthetic with its 990v4 sneaker. Although these shoes are not as aesthetically appealing as other shoes, at least they seem to be comfortable and thus widely adopted by fathers all over the country.
The lineup of ugly sneakers include Balenciaga’s Triple S sneakers (first released in Jan. 2017), Louis Vuitton’s Archlight sneakers (Oct. 2017), Louis Vuitton’s Run Away Pulse (Aug. 2018), Gucci’s Rhyton Logo leather sneaker (Feb. 2018), Flashtrek sneaker (July 2018), Dior Homme’s B22 trainers, Chanel’s SS18 Trainers, Prada’s Cloudbust sneakers, Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 Wave Runners, Adidas Yeezy 500, Adidas Ozweego 3 by Raf Simons, Nike M2K Tekno, Vetements Reebok Instapump Fury, Vetements 80mm Platform Sneaker, ASICS Gel-Burz 1 Kiko Kostadinov, Puma Thunder Electric, Acne Studios Rockaway, Valentino Bounce Runner, Stella McCartney’s Eclypse sneakers, and Maison Margiela’s Fusion Leather Trainer sneakers.
The most interesting of these is definitely the Balenciaga Triple S. As it implies, Balenciaga’s signature shoe is made up of three soles: one for running, one for basketball, and one for soccer. For its expensive retail price of $850, one would expect these sneakers to sit on shelves, but they actually sold out worldwide. Even though they are no longer produced in Italy and are beginning to be made in China, there has been no visible dip in demand. Honestly, I would not rock them, but I think they’re a unique concept that deserves more credit for bringing exaggerated soles to the forefront of fashion.
One other interesting shoe that has been released recently is the Yeezy Boost 700 that first released in Nov. 2017. Up until then, Kanye was famous for coming up with minimalistic sneakers, but the Wave Runners represent a new direction for Kanye’s celebrated collaboration with Adidas. Kanye is looking to further diversify his portfolio with the release of the Yeezy 500, a new chunky silhouette that does not utilize Boost technology but rather uses Adiprene for the sole. I have tried on both shoes and can say that they are a bold statement piece that is still really comfortable. The relatively high retail price of $300 for the Yeezy 700 may deter some from purchasing this shoe, but with a global release planned for Sept. 15, you still have time to consider.
As you can see, dad sneakers are not just limited to high fashion anymore. They have successfully crossed over to streetwear to the point that all of the above sneakers would not look out of place in a line waiting for Supreme or in Soho, NYC in general. Unattractive footwear has reached a point where it is more common to see those rather than the futuristic, sleek sneakers such as the Air Vapormax and Ultraboost that have been put forth by Nike and Adidas in recent years. The ugly dad sneaker trend looks to stay strong for the rest of 2018 and beyond.
Be First to Comment