Comfort-Focused Footwear is Here to Stay

This, combined with pandemic-induced surges in popularity for convenient, comfortable and versatile brands like Crocs and Ugg, has spurred an industry-wide obsession with ugly-chic slip-ons that merge form with function. Other key products of note include Yeezy’s slides, Adidas’ Adilettes, Eyty’s Capri Sandals, Reebok x Mountain Research Beatnik Slides, Fear of God’s California (which earned a top spot on Lyst’s Q1 2022 hot product index), and Balenciaga’s variety of rubber slides and mules. It’s clear that brands spanning high street to luxury level are seeing the potential.

And now, a number of smart brands are putting their own spin on it. Last month, sneaker giant New Balance released its 2002R mule. A riff on its popular sneaker style of the same name, it provides just as much opportunity for covetable artist collaborations and limited-edition colourways as its lace-up counterpart. Having previously released a number of slip-on rubber styles, this product drop signifies a visual shift, with New Balance putting its own distinctive mark on the increasingly popular silhouette.

Elsewhere, New York streetwear label Aimé Leon Dore has released its own interpretation, the rubber Garden Mule. Aside from being the brand’s first entirely original footwear release independent of any outside collaborators, it also sits at a lower and therefore much more accessible price point than its luxury-level apparel offerings.

Finally, US label Simon Miller’s colourful and chunky Bubble Clogs – which have become a signature of the brand in recent seasons – are a key item in its footwear collaboration with American transgender actress and model Tommy Dorfman. This collection reimagines the brand’s classic silhouettes in inclusive, unisex size offerings up to an EU 45.

While comfort is an overarching priority in this category, it doesn’t come at the expense of style. The importance of versatility between at-home convenience and everyday panache cannot be understated. These looks are no longer confined to the home office, and are instead having an impact – both online and in real life – in a major way.

Additionally, the vast array of brands jumping onto the trend, and the subsequent wave of emerging styles, highlights the sheer vastness of its cross-demographic appeal. Look to Crocs for cues on how to experiment with silhouette, colourways and customisation to tap into a wide variety of youth cohorts – from the minimal Sports-Luxe Sartorialists to the maximal Empowered Experimentalists.