High Fashion Isn't Done With Sneaker Brands Just Yet

Over the past couple of years, it's fair to say that both the sneaker and streetwear industries have seen some change. Throughout 2022 especially, many were debating whether we’d moved past peak streetwear - the world of fashion spent the past year telling us that it was done with sneakers and that it was time to grow up.

For the first time in a long time, the sneaker industry moved out of its hyper-growth phase, plunging nearly 17% vs 2021. And, though definitely for the best, streetwear had finally moved past its awkward cringe phase, with no Off-White belts and Heron Preston tees to be seen - instead, the muted, preppy aesthetic of Aimé Leon Dore was all the rage. To cap it all off, adidas brought an end to its longstanding partnership with Ye, halting the (admittedly overdone) production of co-branded styles that had the scene in a chokehold since 2015. Last year was all about mules, UGGs, loafers, and Birkenstocks. On the runways, hoodies and sweats were few and far between. But look ahead to Milan and Paris in 2023, and you’ll realise - the world of high fashion isn’t done with sneaker brands just yet.

At Auralee, Martine Rose, BOTTER and sacai, sneakers (or more importantly, sneaker collabs) were still on the menu, managing to put to bed both the rumours of a dwindling streetwear scene and a shift away from collab culture. For three out of the four, the move arrived courtesy of existing longstanding partnerships, though BOTTER wasn’t the only high fashion brand Reebok has hinted at collaborating with this year.

At her eponymous label, Martine Rose once again upped the shock factor by bringing her Nike Shox collab to Milan’s Pitti Uomo, albeit this time in an even brighter colourway than ever before. The duo’s previous work was released shortly after the designer’s SS23 show, and the shoe’s distinct shape was one of many examples that led fashionistas to believe that sneakers were on the out. Sure, it was a Nike Shox for all intents and purposes, but Rose had hacked the heel off to create more of a mule shape, as well as lifted the style’s iconic column-style cushioning for more of an elevated feel underfoot. As polarising as the design was, some keen sneakerheads were quick to speculate that between these and a Supreme collaboration, the silhouette could be set to make a comeback. Sure enough, the news followed that the Shox TL is set to re-release in early 2023, and with another Martine Rose Shox MR4 on the runway this season, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Shox styles continue to trickle out.

Though high fashion houses like Dior seemed to have departed from the street-style realm (Kim Jones mostly opted to collaborate with ERL’s Eli Russell Linnetz for those styles this season) Paris wasn’t exactly short of sneaker collaborations and streetwear-based influences. Oddly shaped Nikes also whetted showgoers' appetites at Feng Chen Wang, though these came in the form of bulbous shoe guards wrapped around existing Air Max 97s - a novel take, as opposed to any official kind of collaboration. The Swoosh was also present at sacai, this time doing away with the double-soled details we’ve come to expect from the label, and instead focusing its efforts on the Magmascape - a Footscape-style silhouette with trek tendencies that sat perfectly alongside the Carhartt collaboration previewed in the same collection.

At Wales Bonner, Grace Wales Bonner introduced the next installation of her ongoing partnership with adidas. The previous collections played a huge role in last year’s Samba resurgence, but this season it was the Superstar that the duo decided to rework. Though the collection had preppy overtones, the show was stolen by two adidas football shirts in collaboration with Jamaica’s national team, which informed the 3-Stripes styles that were also spotted on foot.

Then, there was BOTTER and Reebok. BOTTER, a brand that’s no stranger to viral moments, presented its 3D-printed collaborative Reebok silhouette, the Venus Comb Murex Shell Sneaker. The model was inspired by the sea shells used as combs by the Greek Goddess Venus, but if Kanye was still Kanye-ing right now, he might have had something to say about that

That brings us to the brand of the moment: New Balance. And if you were wondering why the dad shoe aficionados were storming the runway this season, then allow us to quickly remind you about last year’s Miu Miu collaboration. This season the Boston-based brand took to the stage again with Auralee, a frequent collaborator for NB, to showcase some seriously stunning iterations of the 1906R. For those who don’t know Auralee as anything other than a footwear collaborator, it’s its approach to simplicity that always makes for a winning formula. For this collaboration, Auralee took the 1906R back to basics, doing away with the model’s latest appearance under the “Protection Pack” and instead adding tonal touches to the mesh and leather fabrication that make the shoe so great.

That wasn’t all for New Balance either, as the brand revelled in the Fashion Week festivities with its Bricks & Wood pop-up and collaborative 9060 launch, before joining Junya Watanabe and COMME des GARCONS for techy, utilitarian takes on both the 1906R and the high top 650R silhouettes. Arriving in monochromatic colourways, these pairs were presented alongside collaborative pieces from Carhartt, Levi’s, and everyone’s favourite streetwear brand, Palace.

With February shows still to come, maybe it’s not quite time for that wardrobe refresh after all.

Want to know more about the current state of the sneaker industry? Check out our UNTIED report for all of our predictions for the year ahead.