Please, not the wedge sneakers…
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but footwear recently has been kind of… ugly. We’ve seen the rise of literal gloves for your feet in the form of Vibram FiveFingers. Boxer boots joined the canon of sports-related trendy items that aren’t going anywhere near a gym. And, lately, we’ve been seeing the sort of flat-soled, slouchy boots that were popular in the '00s and early 2010s. (Depending on your age, you might associate them with boho style icons like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller, or the ridiculous fits on the 2010s Disney Channel.)
Yet another form of throwback shoe that is having a renaissance is the sneaker heel. Namely, the wedge sneakers – although their diabolical cousins, sneakers with a kitten or stiletto heel, have also been trending. Wedge sneakers have been on the rise in recent years, but it feels like they’re now on the cusp of total domination.
It’s no revelation that the late 00s and early 2010s are having their moment, following the Y2K and McBling mania we’ve been experiencing for the past few years. (Think: low-rise jeans, tiny sunglasses, bedazzled everything. Paris Hilton, Xtina, Destiny’s Child.) Now, the mood has shifted towards a blend of boho chic and indie sleaze. (Forgive me, none of these words are in the bible.)
A particularly influential item from this time is the Isabel Marant Bekett Wedge Sneaker. Released in 2011, it was inspired by high-top sneakers and featured a hidden wedge to elongate the leg. It would go on to become one of the era’s most coveted shoes, worn by stars like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, and even Beyoncé in her Love On Top music video. Reportedly, it was such a popular shoe that it spawned six-month waiting lists. Another popular brand was the footwear shop Ash: I specifically remember a pair of blue sneaker wedges that my mum bought for me, when I was but a tween. I felt like such a fashion girl, I was so happy. I wish I still had them now…
Sneaker heels also coincided with the “swag” era of the early 2010s. (While fans of the Marant wedge did not necessarily dress in this style, there was some overlap.) High tops, snapbacks, bandanas and chains were a staple of this style, which borrowed heavily from Black American hip hop culture. A young Justin Bieber was a big fan, immortalised in now-cringey but kind of cute photos. Another proponent of this style was none other than Zendaya, who wore the wedge sneakers both on Disney Channel and in her own Instagram posts (which have since taken on a meme-like status).
Instagram content
Instagram content
The interesting thing to note about this trend, is that sneakers and streetwear had not yet been fully embraced by the fashion industry at this time. It was still a time when wearing flats was considered a faux pas, which is difficult to imagine now that every single luxury house has its own pair of designer sneakers. “While we'd never break up with our sky-high heels for good, this season's super cute sneakers have convinced us to take a break (at least for a day or two),” reads a Teen Vogue piece from 2013. So, in a way, the Marant wedge was a bit of a gateway drug.
Eventually, like all fashion trends, the shoe had become so copied and overdone that it began to fall out of style. In 2014, Marant dismissed it as “super-vulgar”. But time heals all, and, in 2021, the designer reissued the sneaker wedge. Then, they appeared in the A/W24 collection of Berlin-based brand Ottolinger. Since then, the style has appeared in many a TikTok, often featuring young people thrifting the style. This year, the Isabel Marant Bekett Wedge Sneaker has become so popular, that it was named the 8th hottest product in the recent Lyst Index.
They’re the kind of shoes that would have been worn with skinny jeans back in the day – so it makes perfect sense that they’ve re-entered the fashion lexicon at a similar time. Interview’s Taylore Scarabelli has dubbed the style “recession glam.” (The early 2010s were a time when many were still dealing with the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis.) So, could the resurgence of the style today be a “recession indicator”? (An annoyingly overused phrase, slapped on everything from the return of hedonistic pop, to the trending of bag charms like Labubus.)
It’s less of a recession indicator, and more of the fact that there always needs to be something trending to keep this industry spinning. But, to be slightly less cynical, I think there is a sense of nostalgia involved. These sneaker heels are reminiscent of a simpler time, when a lot of us were just kids, or young adults. There is a palpable nostalgia for early Instagram at the moment, which is where a lot of this swag era fashion was shared.
Instagram content
It was a time when our online selves were less curated and serious, more random and silly. Influencers and content creators were just in their nascency, and people used the internet more for fun than for a hustle. Recently, moodboard accounts have been reminiscing about early IG, reposting lo-fi selfies of Rihanna, Kim K and Justin Bieber from the early 2010s. It’s no coincidence that this footwear trend has flourished on TikTok, with a younger generation who romanticises this seemingly simpler time.
So, whether you want to cosplay as a 2010s it-girl or relive your glory days, here’s where you can find them.
