Summer Sandals Are More Sneakerhead-Friendly Than Ever
Sneaker brands have upped their sandal efforts. Every day, a new sandal by Nike or Converse comes to light, making for a solid lineup of summer-ready footwear.
The sandals' designs are even more interesting, blending chunky BBQ shoe vibes and sneaker features. In the end, we're quite literally getting sneaker-sandals filled with pure dad energy.
Nike, in particular, has really locked in on its sneaker-sandal collection. In 2023, the Swoosh dropped off buzzy summery shoes like its Air Uptempo slides and Air Max sandals. Even the back-from-the-dead Air Adjust Force wasn't safe from being turned into a chonky sandal.
2024 only maintained Nike's quest for the stockiest sandal. So far, the Beaverton-based sportswear label has unveiled a Nike Air Max Isla sandal, and it looks exactly like the name suggests.
Imagine an Air Max sneaker taking a vacation on an island, its out-of-office notifications set. Now, see the actual photo of the Nike sandal up top, featuring a stacked sole infused with Nike's Air technology and adorned with thick quilted straps. Yep, that's the Nike Air Max Isla sandal.
In time for the summer, Nike also has the Jordan Deja sandals, a dad sandal with the Air Jordan 13's sole. Although not as chunky as Nike's other summery feet, Nike also has a new Calm sandal en route.
The newest Calm shoe expands the brand's 2024 sandal offering and the Calm series of non-sneakers, and the sandal does so with an elderly flair.
Nike isn't alone in the dad sandal summer experience. Again, other sneaker labels have joined the fun. Converse also entered the chat early with its hulking Trekwave Sandal Ox, wearing the bulky sole borrowed from its Trekwave line and classic Chuck Taylors.
And we can't leave out New Balance, who has NB fans ready to cop grills just to flex its cookout-ready Fresh Foam sandals.
I don't know about everyone, but I, for one, am over the cold weather and ready to be kissed by the summer sun. But even as a few of us beg for summer's return, no one seems quite as prepared for the season as sneaker brands. Their thick dad "snandals" (sneaker + sandals) are proof.
