This week, we take a look at the sneaker collaborations and sneaker drops at this season’s fashion week shows. Across New York, London, Milan and Paris, there were many sneaker x high fashion moments, bucking the trend of brands shying away from streetwear crossovers.
After the sneaker craze of the late 2010s and early 2020s, it seemed like the fashion industry was moving back toward dressier shoes, like leather oxfords, loafers, and hybrids like the snoafer and the sneaker ballet flat. Complex even declared that 2024 was “the year that sneaker hype died.“
But on the runways and on store shelves this fashion month, fashion brands showed that their love affair with sneakers is far from over. At all four major fashion weeks, brands as diverse as Tanner Fletcher, Dauphinette, Boss, Prada, Theophilio and Dsquared2 put their own sneakers on the runway, integrated sneakers from established brands or released collaborations with sneaker brands. While the silhouettes may have changed — slim sneakers are more common and popular than the chunky sneakers of previous years — sneakers are still a common sight on the runways. This is a shift from last season, when commentators like Highsnobiety observed a noted lack of sneakers on the runway from big brands like Prada.
It’s a testament to the longevity of sneakers that they’ve continued to show up in high fashion and a sign that brands still wanting to experiment with sneakers haven’t missed the boat. According to some experts, sneaker crossovers are still appealing because they let brands that typically cater to a higher-end consumer offer something at a lower price without diluting the brand. At a time when consumers’ wallets are being pressed by inflation and tariffs, that could be valuable.
For example, at New York Fashion Week, the brand Tanner Fletcher included a pair of Hoka Bondi Mary Jane sneakers in several of its runway looks. The sneakers were unreleased at the time, but the runway offered a preview of the shoes before their October 1 drop.
“Hoka is always aiming to push boundaries and find unique ways to merge high performance with fashion, which is seen through both our lifestyle offerings and our partnerships with fashion-first brands,” Hoka’s director of design and lifestyle Chris Hui told Glossy. “Partnering with Tanner Fletcher to debut the Bondi Mary Jane allowed us to showcase this multi-faceted – and in the case of this silhouette, unconventional – approach.”
Some brands released their own sneakers. At Milan Fashion Week, Dsquared2 debuted the vintage-inspired DC 642 shoe, while Santoni showed off multiple new sneaker styles, including the Yorker and the Monte Carlo. At Dries van Noten, the eponymous designer added sneakers to the brand’s inventory shortly before his departure in 2024, which quickly drew buzz as the “best post-Samba sneaker.” In Paris this week, new creative director Julian Klausner continued to make the flat sneakers a key part of the brand’s look, with multiple new versions, colors and silhouettes debuting in its show on Tuesday.
Other brands worked directly with established sneaker brands. Puma showed up on multiple runways, partnering with brands like Theophilio, Dauphinette and Ahluwalia to provide sneakers for runway looks.
At last season’s Paris Fashion Week, Puma partnered with footwear designer Salehe Bembury for the Velum 1, which appeared at Salehe Bembury’s show in June. But the two brands timed the sneaker’s wide release for this season’s Paris Fashion Week, with the shoe going on sale on Salehe Bembury’s website on September 30 and coming to store shelves at Kith on October 7.
Often, there’s a notable price difference between these sneaker collabs and the brand’s regular product. The French fashion brand Sezane often sells its clothing pieces for more than $300. But, during Paris Fashion Week, it revealed a new collaboration with New Balance featuring a Sezane-designed take on the New Balance 471 sneaker. The sneaker, selling or the lower price of $150, is launching exclusively in the U.S. on October 3, globally on October 5, and in New Balance offline and online stores on October 15.
“The surge in high fashion × sneaker collaborations is driven by a few powerful forces,” said stylist Elana Solomon. “First: accessibility. These collabs let aspirational customers own a slice of ‘luxury identity’ without committing to a couture price tag. Second: cultural relevance. Sneakers now sit at the intersection of streetwear, art, performance and fashion, so they are a natural vehicle for brands to stay in the moment.”
Tania Dudu, another stylist who is in Paris attending shows right now, told Glossy that she’s seen wave of sneaker styles on the runways at Bottega Veneta, Prada, Dries van Noten and Jacquemus.
“Right now, sneaker collabs are everywhere, and honestly, it makes total sense for me from so many angles,” she said, singling out Prada’s satin sneakers at Milan Fashion Week as a particular favorite. “When a luxury brand teams up with a sportswear brand, it’s exciting. Two aesthetics collide, and new audiences get curious.”
Despite a 1% drop in overall footwear dollar sales in the U.S. in the first half of 2025, and a narrative that the sneaker trend is dying, data from Circana shows that sneakers are still driving the majority of growth in the footwear sector. Athleisure sneakers, running sneakers and cross-trainer sales are up 3%, 7% and 9%, respectively, this year, as well. The sneaker growth is distributed across the sector. Adidas saw an 82% increase in operating profits earlier this year, while Golden Goose saw double-digit sales growth.
“It’s a smart move,” said stylist Dina Solomon, sister of Elana. “Sneakers expand access, keep brands culturally relevant and give stylists new ways to play with proportion and comfort. The risks are really about balance. Too many drops can dilute prestige, sloppy execution can cheapen craftsmanship, and inauthentic collabs can feel like cash grabs. If a house stays true to its DNA while delivering something genuinely fresh, the upside is enormous.”
News to know
- Elsewhere in the sneakers world, Nike reported revenue this week. After several years of Nike losing dominance of the sneaker space and market share to upstarts like On and Hoka, Nike finally showed the fruits of its turnaround efforts. New CEO Elliott Hill, who took over in late 2024, has been changing the brand’s direction and making numerous leadership changes, resulting in Nike inching back toward growth. Sales will be down 3% this quarter, up from a 7% drop in the same period last year.
- The Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein announced that it would be opening five permanent stores in France this year, starting with a location in the BHV Marais department store in Paris. The announcement has already received opposition from French department store Galeries Lafayette, which sold several of the locations where Shein plans to open to another French real estate company, Société des Grands Magasins. The stores still carry the Galeries Lafayette name, even though the actual department store isn’t involved, and Galeries Lafayette has said that allowing Shein to open within those locations violates its contract with SGM. Galeries Lafayette also said that Shein does not align with its values.
- Brunello Cucinelli has been facing scrutiny from a short-selling hedge fund, saying it has violated E.U. regulations in its business in Russia. In particular, it is being accused of offloading excess inventory to Russia in a way that E.U. rules forbid. In Cucinelli’s earnings report this week, the brand stated that it had thoroughly investigated the claims and found no violations in its conduct in the Russian market. Cucinelli’s revenues are up 10% this quarter.
Stats of the week
Retail tech company ReturnPro released a report this week showing that 57% of U.S. based retailers are facing down inventory shortages this holiday season. Additionally, nearly 70% of retailers are more concerned about tariff disruptions to their holiday sales now than they were in March.
Somewhat counterintuitively, despite these concerns, the report also showed that over half of retailers are expecting higher sales growth this season, but it will come from higher prices, rather than increased sales volume or traffic, they say.
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