From earthing to the catwalk: Feet are on trend this summer

This summer 2025 fashion has put the focus on feet. Flip flops, FiveFingers, sock shoes or simply going barefoot. Every brand and every consumer is interpreting the phenomenon in their own way. It’s not a coincidence or a whim, it’s a global trend.

Jacob Elordi was spotted walking without shoes in Australia, Rick Owens launched an OnlyFans only with pictures of his feet. Before them, Kanye anticipated it with the Yeezy. While Bottega Veneta confirmed it with their knitted leather footwear. Searches for flip flop sandals and Vibram FiveFingers shoes grew by 57% and 50% respectively in the last year. The more of the foot you can see, the better.

It’s not just about aesthetics. Earthing, walking with your foot in contact with the ground, activates dormant muscles, improves posture and reduces stress. According to The Washington Post, it can even induce euphoria. At TikTok, the content with FiveFingers multiplies. Emilia Petrarca summed it up in The New York Times: ‘It’s a great time to be a toe’.

At Fashion Week, bare feet dominated regardless of gender or season. Prada opted for leather flip flops in bold colours. Bottega Veneta took back its sock shoe in knitted leather, while Vibram added collaborations with Suicoke, Balenciaga, Brain Dead and 1017 Alyx 9SM.

Ferragamo, Chloé and Proenza Schouler elevated the minimal heeled sandal, and The Row took luxury to the extreme with rubber and leather flip flops costing over 850 euros. Balenciaga came full circle with the Zero. A design that only wraps around the big toe and heel.

This is no longer just a marginal or niche aesthetic. On the contrary, this season, the visible foot is becoming a uniform, a trend. And even if it is not exactly a fetish, and more than one person benefits from it, it does respond to something deeper. A collective need to return to reality.