For a while, sneakers were all about extremes, chunky soles, exaggerated proportions, and high-octane design. But in 2025, the trend pendulum is swinging in a new direction. Today’s sneaker scene is defined by hybrids, elegance, and cultural nostalgia. From wedge sneakers and ballerina fusions to sleek boxing shoes, a softer and more fashion-forward era of footwear is taking hold.
Courtesy of Heuritech’s expert fashion team, we present a clear rise in these trend mutations. As shown by our platform’s Watchlist section, sneakers are no longer just comfort-driven, they are emotional, expressive, and increasingly design-led.
Wedge sneakers: The Bekett is back
A decade ago, Isabel Marant’s Bekett wedge sneaker was everywhere. With its hidden heel and high-top nonchalance, generally with a suede finish, it redefined casual glamour. Now reissued as the Balskee, the classic silhouette is making a strong comeback. In 2024 it quietly re-entered the scene. By 2025, it’s reclaiming its icon status.
On TikTok, the hashtag #BekettSneakers has surpassed 17.5M views, while #IsabelMarant has been tagged in over 758K Instagram posts. This is more than nostalgia, it’s a sign of how fashion’s early 2010s are being mined for inspiration by a new generation of style-savvy consumers. Pair them with baggy jeans or above the knee jorts, an oversized top, and you will have a perfectly comfy and stylish outfit.
Why now? The Balskee delivers height without sacrificing comfort, and attitude without overstatement. It plays beautifully into the broader trend of elevated sport, where glam and practicality coexist. Its styling range, from parachute pants to silk skirts, proves its enduring versatility.
Sneakerinas: Where balletcore meets streetwear
With the rise of balletcore and the flat shoe revival, sneaker-ballerina hybrids, sneakerinas, have stepped onto the fashion stage. The reverse dynamic began taking shape in 2024, with trail-inspired sneakers, featuring lug soles, mixed-material uppers, criss-cross lacing, and velcro straps, lending edge and utilitarian flair to ultra-feminine ballerinas and the new wave of sporty Mary-Janes, as seen in Simone Rocha’s Tracker Ballerina. The hybridization of lifestyle and performance footwear is fast becoming a creative playground, think Snoafers, the sneaker-loafer fusions. They marry the grace of dancewear with the functionality of everyday footwear. The result? Soft, structured silhouettes that feel both romantic and grounded.
This shift is also reshaping sneaker culture, with minimalist, satin-finished low-tops channeling dancewear codes. On TikTok and Instagram, hashtags like #Sneakerina, #BalletSneakers and #balletsneakersoutfit are gaining serious traction, blending softness with streetwear sensibilities.
Common features include almond toes, satin finishes, elastic straps, and flexible soles. They’re showing up in fashion capitals and on TikTok alike, where hashtags like #Sneakerina, #BalletSneakers, and #balletsneakersoutfit are gaining traction. They are the perfect shoe for the spring summer time.
Key models and brands include:
- Adidas Taekwondo Mei, blending martial arts precision with minimalism
- Louis Vuitton’s LV sneakerina, infusing high fashion into the mix
- Puma Speedcat Ballet, merging motorsport and softness
- Acne Studios and Vivaia, pushing sustainable and luxe materials
The sneakerina encapsulates a new kind of power dressing: quietly strong, comfortable, and culturally fluid. If you want to know more specifically about Sneakerinas, we wrote a whole article about them.
Low-profile sneakers: The sleek comeback
While chunky sneakers still exist, 2025 is witnessing a silent revolution: slim, retro, low-profile sneakers inspired by football fields, boxing rings, and 1970s running tracks.
The Adidas Samba remains the blueprint, with its clean lines and understated confidence. Other key players in this wave include:
- Nike Total 90s
- Puma x Fenty Aventi
- Miista Nikoletta
- Miu Miu Plume and Gymnasium
- Prada Collapse sneakers
- Maison Margiela Sprinters
- Dries Van Noten Dustin
These silhouettes prioritize perfect detail over drama: crafted uppers, subtle color palettes (think white, black, grey, brown), and sport-heritage nods. Their appeal lies in effortless styling: pairing easily with tailored trousers, vintage track pants, and feminine dresses.
This isn’t performance footwear, it’s post-performance fashion, where function, memory, and elegance merge.
Boxing sneakers: A knockout trend
One of the season’s most unexpected silhouettes is the boxing sneaker. Sleek high-tops with lace-up fronts and flat soles are being reimagined by fashion houses and found in styles with sharp, urban flair.
Designers like Stella McCartney (with Adidas) and LaQuan Smith (with Puma) have elevated the look using leather, metallics, and rich textures. These shoes are no longer reserved for the gym, they’re appearing on runways and sidewalks alike.
On TikTok, #BoxingShoes boasts over 295M views, and content creators are pairing them with blazers, pleated skirts, and wide-leg pants. The aesthetic? Gender-fluid, sporty, retro-futuristic, and unapologetically bold.
The bigger picture: Sneakers, reimagined
Across the board, sneaker trends in 2025 reflect a shift away from performance and toward emotional storytelling. Each silhouette offers more than comfort: it conveys a vibe, a cultural memory, or a lifestyle choice.
For brands, this means an opportunity to design not just footwear, but stories—shoes that anchor identity and style in equal measure.
The sneaker renaissance is here, and it’s more eclectic, elegant, and expressive than ever. In this new era, shoes are no longer accessories, they’re emotional statements.
Whether it’s the elevation of the Balskee, the softness of sneakerinas, the restraint of slim silhouettes, or the punch of boxing shoes, sneakers are reclaiming their role as culture-shaping icons. The playbook has changed: hybridization, nostalgia, and nuance now rule.
As fashion students, marketers, and designers, this is your call to explore how footwear reflects cultural mood, emotional need, and shifting definitions of cool. The runway might be in Paris, but the revolution is on your feet.
