In 2023, we’re perhaps just bored with kicks for basketball and skateboarding, and clubbing

New Balance 725 running shoe with a decidedly retro form

It has been a year of sneaker trends that have been hard to narrow down or identify as major. You’d think ugly trainers and those dad shoes are quite over, but no, they’re still around and, intriguingly, popular. So are those hulky shoes, as seen in Balenciaga’s gargantuan 3XL and now the ridiculous 10XL, first seen at the brand’s not-quite-novel Los Angeles show. While the Adidas Samba is still trending (and notoriously hard to score), the general trend seems to be kicks that go the opposite direction: With bombastic uppers. (Even those conceived with Wales Bonner are not exactly the low-key kicks the OG Samba was). Fashion folks who do not adopt sneakers for sports generally still prefer attention-grabbing ones, such as the Batmobile that is the Balmain Unicorn from last year. Just over the Christmas weekend, we have even seen individuals in the Alessandro Michele-era Gucci Flashtrek!

No matter how ostentatious sneakerheads want their shoes to be, there also those who prefer the quieter, but no less interesting kicks. Retro silhouettes are still a draw and brands are constantly looking at their archives to re-release past best-sellers or tweak them for a new (younger) audience. Both Nike and Adidas have done that, but in the past years, the urgency is in generating novel or forward-looking shapes. Nike’s collaborations with Sacai, for example, have shown us how far they can go when they hybridise old and old silhouettes for something far out. After a while, they just look formulaic and Frankensteinian. Adidas has been so preoccupied with their Yeezy success (even the stock clearance) that so many of their kicks are of that aesthetic. It is no wonder that the sneaker brands drawing attention are those that, until recently, aren’t associated with fashionable kicks (read: Salomon and Hoka).

Saucony X Maybe Tomorrow Shadow 6000

But the category of sneakers that are really making strides are those designed (at least originally) for running. Sure, brands do create a vibe about their footwear that seems to be what runners gun for or with words such as ‘Runner’ and ‘Track’ in their moniker, as is clearly the case at Balenciaga, but we are not sure if anyone really wears them for even a jog round the neighborhood. Unlikely if a ‘Track’ can cost as much as S$2,270. Similarly, with the 10XL and the equally ridiculous-looking ‘Bouncer’, we doubt Balenciaga created them for running. And those who wear them are just into bragging rights, not practical considerations. Or, even style cred. That some fashionistas are looking at more traditional running shoes could be a counteraction against sneakers allegedly made to be run in, but are clearly destined for the stroll into show venues during fashion weeks in full view of crashers who can’t get in. Perhaps it has also to do with Bottega Veneta’s September introduction of the surprisingly flashy Orbit, which seemed to be inspired by Asics, particularly the Japanese brand’s GT-2160 (the green and silver became an overnight and was quickly sold out!).

Two of our favourite running shoes this year is the New Balance 725 (in the ‘Mushroom’, as seen in the top photo) and the Saucony Shadow 6000 in a collaboration with the Los Angeles-based streetwear brand Maybe Tomorrow (in the green, as seen in the photo above), founded by American-Vietnamese photographer-turned-brand-owner Mark Nguyen. These two kicks are based on rather yesteryear running shoes. Therein lies their charm (and even their usability since it was mostly runners who bought these kicks in the past). New Balance is, of course, the shoe brand destined to be the next Nike. Their 990 alone is so inspiring that there are other brands who allow themselves to be creatively aroused. And Saucony, a go-to for runners, has put out some compelling colour stories that would not be out of place in a modern wardrobe—however you define it. Running shoes will continue to speed into the new year. And we’re all for it.

Photos: Jim Sim