Milan Fashion Week is proof that the “ugly” comfort shoe is here to stay
Designer trainers have become so mainstream that there seems to be a new sell-out collab every month (this season was the Miu Miu x New Balance that every fashion girl has been on the hunt for) – but what we're seeing more recently is designers and celebs alike turning to the “comfort shoe," the podiatrist-recommended soles that have historically been dubbed ugly or elderly-friendly, but are now being made cool with the help of a select few fashion houses.
UGG and Birkenstock were some of the first brands to kick off the trend, churning out covetable designs with the likes of Telfar or Proenza Schouler respectively – but when Ecco partnered with former Chloé creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi last autumn, we realised something was clearly brewing.
Then yesterday, historic Italian fashion house Fendi celebrated its 100th birthday with a runway show during Milan Fashion Week, and models strutted the runway wearing diaphanous gowns styled with — guess what? Red Wing boots, the industrial desert boots, which have been featured in Fendi’s menswear collections since the 1950s.
The Fendi x Red Wing collab on such a momentous occasion signalled one thing: the comfort shoe is here stay.
Designers big and small are tapping ergonomic or functional shoe brands to create shoes for the woman who doesn't want to be tottering around town in stilettos. After the pandemic, the skyscraper heel has given way to flats, slides and now, functional footwear with a fashionable spin.
No more bringing an extra pair of heels to change into at the office or getting stilettos stuck in the escalator grails. Milan Fashion Week has officially put the stamp of approval on the designer comfort shoe.
From Martine Rose's partnership with Clarks to Loewe's cheeky frog slides with Wellipets, check out some of these designer collab shoes that are *actually* made for walking.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, she earned her journalism degree in America and spent time at GLAMOUR US and People Magazine. She then returned to Hong Kong and became Tatler Asia's fashion director, where she ... Read More
