The evolution of the white sneaker: how brands from Loewe to Stella McCartney, and celebs from Gwyneth Paltrow to EmRata helped turn the sports shoe into a wardrobe staple bringing easy style to any l
The white trainer – or sneaker, if you prefer – is a fashion essential in wardrobes everywhere, and for good reason. This versatile, everyday shoe has had its moment in the spotlight both on and off the runway thanks to its mass appeal and versatility.
Today you can find a pair to fit any style and budget, from sports and high street brands to designer labels. They've been embraced by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and
Emily Ratajkowski , and high profile sportsmen like
Roger Federer (the tennis star even created his own collection for cult brand On).
Emily Ratajkowski is chic in white sneakers, out and about in New York last year. Photo: GC Images
Advertisement
'The white sneaker has become a staple of modern dress. It reflects a cultural change where casual wear isn't just accepted: it signifies a certain freedom,' explain Flavio Girolami and Prathan Peter Poopat, founders of luxury trainer brand Common Projects.
'A well-crafted white sneaker is minimal yet intentional, fitting seamlessly into both relaxed and refined wardrobes. It's a symbol of effortless sophistication, proving that style today is more about personal expression than rigid dress codes,' says the duo.
Common Projects women's white sneakers. Photo: Handout
There was a time when white trainers weren't considered the arbiter of cool. Conservative American brand Keds, which was founded in 1916, has often claimed credit for creating the first pair, which was more sensible than stylish. During the years that followed, white trainers were pigeonholed as a sports essential thanks to their proliferation on tennis and basketball courts. Even Converse's now bestselling Chuck Taylor sneakers debuted at the 1936 Olympics as a shoe worn by the US basketball team.
It wasn't until the 60s and 70s that white 'kicks' – a term coined by streetwear fans – started to transition off the courts. Sportswear brand Adidas made waves with classic styles like its Stan Smith and Superstar models. Chuck Taylor high-tops became a mainstay with cool kids.
Brands like Nike dominated in the 1980s with now cult favourites like its Air Force 1.
Adidas x Stella McCartney at Mytheresa. Photo: Handout
The designer-fication of white trainers took a little longer to catch on. In the 1990s, brands such as
Prada launched sports lines, mainly appealing to men looking for designer shoes for more casual outings. Standard materials like canvas were replaced by more luxe fabrics such as leather, and design details elevated these styles further.
The rise of athleisure in the 2010s empowered many to include white trainers as part of their daily uniform. Women everywhere, from high-powered executives and gallerists, to fashion editors and stylish mums, were snapped styling their pairs in cool and unexpected ways.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTHK
3 days ago
- RTHK
Smokey Robinson counter-sues against rape allegations
Smokey Robinson counter-sues against rape allegations Smokey Robinson and his wife Frances at a pre-Grammy gala in Beverly Hills, California, in 2023. File photo: AFP American singer Smokey Robinson has filed a defamation lawsuit against four former housekeepers who accused him of rape and prompted a police investigation. Robinson and his wife, Frances Robinson, filed the counterclaim on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court against the women and their lawyers, whose allegations, they say, were 'fabricated in an extortionate scheme'. The filing is a fast and forceful legal and public pushback from the 85-year-old Motown music luminary in response to the women's May 6 lawsuit and a May 15 announcement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department that its special victims bureau is 'actively investigating criminal allegations' against Robinson. The Robinsons also filed a motion to strike the women's lawsuit. The women are seeking at least US$50 million, alleging Smokey Robinson repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted them in his home when they worked for him between 2007 and 2024. They said Frances Robinson, a co-defendant, enabled him and created an abusive workplace. The counterclaim opens with friendly text messages from the women to contradict their claims against Robinson, whose songs, including 'Tears of a Clown' and 'The Tracks of My Tears," established him among the biggest hitmakers of the 1960s. The filing says the women 'stayed with the Robinsons year after year,' vacationed with them, celebrated holidays with them, exchanged gifts with them, asked for tickets to his concerts, and sought and received help from them, including money for dental surgery, financial support for a disabled family member and 'even a car'. The filing - which includes photos from the vacations and gatherings as exhibits – says that despite the couple's generosity, the women 'secretly harboured resentment for the Robinsons and sought to enrich themselves through the Robinsons' wealth'. John Harris and Herbert Hayden, attorneys for the former housekeepers, said the defamation lawsuit 'is nothing more than an attempt to silence and intimidate the survivors of Mr Robinson's sexual battery and assault. It is a baseless and vindictive legal manoeuvre designed to re-victimise, shift blame and discourage others from coming forward'. The lawyers said they intend to get the Robinsons' lawsuit thrown out by invoking California's laws against using the courts to silence and intimidate people who sue. The four women, whose names are withheld in their lawsuit, each allege that Robinson would wait until they were alone with him in his Los Angeles house and then sexually assault and rape them. One woman said she was assaulted at least 20 times while working for Robinson from 2012 until 2024. Another said she worked for him from 2014 until 2020 and was assaulted at least 23 times. (AP)
South China Morning Post
21-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Story of bitter Adidas vs Puma family fallout to be told in new TV series
The bitter brotherly feud that sparked the creation of sports-shoe brands Adidas and Puma in the same small German town in the 1940s is to be turned into a television series with the help of family archives, its producers have announced. Hollywood-based film producer No Fat Ego is backing the project, which has the blessing of the family behind the Adidas empire founded by Adolf 'Adi' Dassler. It will delve into one of the most fascinating fraternal blow-ups in corporate history, which pitted Adi against his brother Rudolf ('Rudi'), who went on to create rival Puma. The two men jointly ran a family-owned footwear company before falling out during World War II, with their post-conflict animus splitting their town of Herzogenaurach to this day. Rudolf 'Rudi' Dassler (left) and Adolf 'Adi' Dassler. Photo: Handout/Getty Images Scriptwriter Mark Williams, behind the hit Netflix series Ozark, has been hired to lead the project and is currently going through Dassler family home videos and memorabilia to work on the story. 'Everybody knows the brands, but the story behind them is something we don't really fully know,' Williams said at the Cannes Film Festival, which is currently running in France.
RTHK
16-05-2025
- RTHK
Trump's save-Hollywood plan gets bad reviews at Cannes
Trump's save-Hollywood plan gets bad reviews at Cannes For the dealmakers at Cannes, Donald Trump's plan for 100 percent tariffs on films produced overseas can be a 'massive potential disaster'. Photo: AFP There are not many fans of Donald Trump's dream to save Hollywood with tariffs among the dealmakers at the Cannes film festival – even among those who voted for him. Unlike Robert De Niro – a vocal critic who called Trump "America's philistine president" at the festival's opening ceremony – they say they have no political or personal axes to grind with him. But they see his idea of 100-percent tariffs on movies produced "in foreign lands" as a "massive potential disaster" for an industry already shaken by streaming platforms. "I don't see any benefit to what he is trying to do. If anything it could really hurt us," said Scott Jones, the head of Artist View Entertainment. "A lot of people are out of work right now, and this is not going to make it better," said the producer, in Cannes with a Tennessee-shot Civil War epic "The Legend of Van Dorn". "There needs to be method to the madness." Trump's own "special ambassadors" to the industry, actors Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone, both signed a letter on Tuesday thanking him for drawing attention to "runaway" US productions being shot overseas but asking for tax breaks to keep them in the United States rather than tariffs. A wide coalition of Hollywood producers, writers and directors groups also put their names to the call. "More than 80 countries offer production tax incentives and as a result, numerous productions that could have been shot in America have instead located elsewhere," they said. The biggest American film at Cannes is Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" – which was mostly shot in Britain and South Africa. "Hollywood movies are made all over the world," said Louise Lantagne, head of Quebecreatif, which supports the Canadian industry. And producers have been going north to make movies in Canada for decades "because we are cheaper and we have tax credits, great facilities and really top technical talent", she added. "Of course it is going to be hell if [tariffs] happen," she said, but "for the moment it is just a tweet – even if everyone is really stressed by these declarations". Many, like American sales agent Monique White of California Pictures, think tariffs are "unfeasible" and Trump will quietly drop the idea. "Tariffs are legally and technically impossible without changing the law in Congress, which doesn't look likely," she said. But others worry that the damage has already been done. One veteran producer who voted twice for Trump, and asked not be named, said the threat of them alone has already been "catastrophic for confidence". "Investors, particularly foreign ones, don't want to get burned down the line. He's killing us," he said. Even if Trump manages to push tariffs through, Lantagne argued it would be a "bureaucratic nightmare to rule on what is a US film", as financing and talent is now so international. (AFP)
