From trekking to streetstyle: how laceless sneakers have climbed to the top of the fashion ladder

So much so that the most coveted recent drops by the street community have been precisely the iterations of the main brands in the system, which have continued this pattern through outstanding releases such as the HAVEN x norda, the Merrell by Nicole McLaughlin or the 610 by New Balance x Aminé.

These are magical collaborations that have managed to resurrect this sacred silhouette in the trekking sphere. A trend that has been bubbling up in fashion for the last few years, with names like ‘slip-on’ or versions that dispense with the lace-up closure and wrap their designs in a more technical or functional sensibility.

FACTORS BEHIND THE BOOM

The rise of slip-on shoes can thus be attributed to several factors, one of which is undoubtedly the change in the perception of technical shoes for trail running and hiking. Thus, the major players in functional footwear such as Salomon, On and HOKA are now positioned at the top of the pyramid structure of slip-on sneakers.

Models like HOKA‘s new Ora Primo now dominate urban-inspired Instagram accounts, while Salomon’s RX Moc dazzles as one of the brand’s most coveted releases from the creative minds of Jah Jah and Sandy Liang.

Nostalgia influences -and drives- the resurgence of this silhouette. In the early 2000s, the future of sneakers was projected precisely by sneakers without laces, now turned into collector’s shoes that fashion archivists are trying to rescue from specialised shops and from the depths of the internet.

The design focus now turns to models such as the PUMA Mostro, the Nike ACG Moc or the Oakley Flesh Sandal, which have recently been reissued by their respective brands, bringing updated versions to market for the new golden age of laceless sneakers.