Dad shoes step off the uncool rack to top the footwear hit parade
Designed originally as a shoe for dads, these low-key designs with extra width are the latest ‘must have’ item for trendsetters, and can retail for top dollar
Dad shoes are clunky, ugly – and the hottest trend in footwear, clomping down the runway at recent shows by luxury houses Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga. The bulked-up sneakers, which can retail for hundreds of dollars a pair, also represent a major challenge for athletic-shoe makers unaccustomed to the volatile world of high fashion.
Until recently, companies such as Adidas AG and Puma SE could count on steady sales of minimalist, retro styles such as Adidas’s Stan Smith and Puma’s Clyde. Increasingly, though, shoppers are turning toward chunky, runway-inspired sneakers including Vuitton’s US$1,000 LV Archlight and Balenciaga’s US$800 Triple S.
Athletic-shoe makers are jumping on the bandwagon as fast as they can. Adidas launched a chunky model last year as part of the top-of-the-line Yeezy collection it’s developed with rapper-designer Kanye West. Other dad models from the German company, like the Yung-1, look like cartoon versions of 1990s running shoes, with puffy foam soles and garish colours. This time around, however, they’re worn with a wink by ironic hipsters, rather than with triple-pleated khakis by middle-aged American tourists.
Niche labels have joined in the fun. Fila has a collection of clunky sneakers and sandals called Disruptor, while Skechers USA Inc. has its D’Lite lineup. “Skechers will make a big play here for back-to-school,” NPD sports-shoe analyst Matt Powell said.
Puma CEO Bjoern Gulden acknowledged recently that his company had been caught off guard by “major shifts in product trends and consumer demand, especially in footwear”. The company pulled forward the release of some chunky models, including its brightly coloured Thunder Spectra, released in April.
Social Media
Fuelled by social media and the popularity of high-end streetwear, sneakers have become one of the fastest-growing categories in luxury goods, with sales up 10 per cent in 2017, according to Bain & Co. By contrast, US sales of conventional sports footwear grew only 2 per cent last year, according to consultancy NPD.