The Glorious Death of Sneaker Monoculture
There used to be only one good shoe. Not anymore! Footwear has grown far too democratized to center around a single silhouette, let alone a single brand.
Though this surely presents a problem for footwear companies accustomed to leveraging overt trends for inflated profits, it also represents an increasingly exciting (post-)sneaker culture. And so much the better — this is trends ceding to taste.
There was once always a clearly delineated sneaker of the moment. 2017's Balenciaga's Triple S, for instance, or 2019's sacai x Nike LDWaffle and Travis Scott's Air Jordan 1. These were the lynchpin sneakers of their era, inspiring a slew of imitators, trends, and inflated resale prices.
They were ubiquitous. They were also just that: sneakers.
At least partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic's forced footwear reset and at least partially due to the death of fashion's cult of personality, culture has evolved.
The stylish now simultaneously appreciate the flat shoe, the leather shoe, the skate shoe, the running shoe, the designer shoe, even the toe shoe. Boat shoes and flip-flops are suddenly as cool as the utterly functional running sneakers produced by Saucony and Brooks. Dr. Martens boots, Dries Van Noten's Suede sneakers, dad shoes, and Maison Margiela tabi slip-ons prosper out of season.
Sure, there are still dominant trends. Dozens of low-cost-to-luxury brands still follow the lead of both New Balance's sneaker-loafer and Miu Miu's collaboration — all while Miu Miu dabbles in the heavyweight — as adidas and PUMA push troupes of wildly popular ballet-leaning shoes. But even then, this is no monoculture.
Second-comer sneaker-loafers are just as sold-out as the New Balance originator, demonstrating broader interest in a traceable style rather than a single silhouette. Speaking of single silhouette, even if one sought to exclusively wear buzzy adidas silhouettes, they'd have to choose from the Stan Smith ballet flat, the Stan Smith espadrille, the Samba mary jane, the Tobacco, the Country, the SL72 — and that's only if they wanted something flat.
Perhaps most obviously demonstrating the state of things, Nike has been toppled as sneakerdom's supreme power. Where its Jordan collaborations and new-school runners once commanded culture, the Swoosh has been relegated to the mass market. But nothing nowadays is black and white. Even as it chases HOKA and On's leads, Nike is still responsible for at least some relevant kicks
Because today's shoe culture are a mix of big and small, hot and not hot... yet. Sneakers are as big as ever, they just exist alongside less sneaker-y fare. Sturdily soled leather lace-ups, squashed summer slip-ons, Our Legacy's dress sneaker, and Salomon's techy hikers are all big all at once. There is no one cool brand. There is no one cool shoe. Just look at the most recent round of fashion week streetstyle, typically a convergence of faddish outfits, and behold shoe divergence.
It all used to be so much simpler. And worse.
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