3 days ago
Forget White Trainers – Every Fashion Person Is Only Wearing This Colour Now
The year is 2011. Phoebe Philo - fashion's messiah, quiet commander and Céline's creative director - is closing her show. But this time, the moment of impact isn't stitched into hemlines or cut into tailoring. It's walking out with her. As she takes her final bow, the designer steps out in a uniform that's become something of a cut in itself: skinny jeans, a roll-neck (hair tucked in - a noted Philo-ism), and a white, conspicuously unbothered pair of Adidas Stan Smiths. Within a few moments, the groundwork had been laid for what was set to become the bestselling trainer of the last decade.
Phoebe Philo at the Celine Autumn/Winter '11 show. ©Getty
What followed was a golden age of '70s sneaker renaissance: an era of trainers that looked as if they might have belonged to the cooler sibling in a Wes Anderson film. The fashion set, Victoria Beckham, Raf Simons - and Philo again in 2014 - all stealthily contributed to the rise of the retro trainers, legitimising them in virtually every setting, with the exception, perhaps, of global politics. (Justin Trudeau, we're looking at you).
Fast forward to now, and the retro sneaker hype hasn't lost its footing. If anything, it's sprinting ahead: take Wales Bonner's bonafide collaboration with Adidas, for example, which continues to sell out on sight, or look at the craze caused by Onitsuka Tiger's Mexico trainers. We've seen so many Stan Smith revivals or sportswear brands reissuing iconic styles from their archives (hello, Puma Speed Cats). Dries Van Noten has created vintage-inspired trainers, which are a masterclass in scarcity marketing, and if you're reading this, chances are that you, too, own a pair of Adidas Sambas - whether they're still in or not.
The point is, retro trainers are the piece of footwear to which we'll never want to say goodbye. But in 2025, there's a notable caveat: all-white kicks no longer make the cut. Call it the limit of ubiquity, their cool having fallen victim to the trends inflation rate, or the fact that they have suffered death by repetition on mums at the school gate (and the cropped, skinny trousers and ankle socks combo didn't help). But, a piece of good news, the industry's tastemakers are switching things up. And if Philo were to give her stamp of approval today? Chances are, it would go to pale yellow sneakers.
Already shot out into the mainstream by hamstring-bracing shorts king, Harry Styles, who wore Prada's skinny sole, collapsible heel style out for a stroll this summer, the sunshine-bright shoes aren't hard to find. Loewe's cult-y On collaboration brought forth a pair that fashion editors have bookmarked and backordered. Maison Margiela's newly-launched 'Sprinters' have arrived in a beige-could-be-sun-bleached-yellow colourway, and as for 'The Tennis' by Jacquemus in suede lemon sorbet? Practically extinct in popular sizes.
From L-R: Jacquemus' The Tennis trainers; Loewe X On Cloudventure 2.0 trainers
So, what's the takeaway? A happy trainer equals a happy life? Maybe. Or, perhaps, the trend pendulum has swung and we've temporarily eschewed white trainers for something with a bit more character until the oversaturated stampede of alpina white shoes has died down again. Either way, if you're contemplating a trainer upgrade this summer, might we gently suggest opting for a dopamine-inducing shot of colour for your feet? Scroll on to shop our favourite pairs below. 1.
Onitsuka Tiger, Mexico 66 2.
Loewe X On, Cloudventure 2.0 3.
Jacquemus, The Tennis 4.
Adidas Originals, Tokyo Shell Sneakers 5.
Miu Miu, Tyre Sneakers 6.
Russell & Bromley, Budds Retro Trainers 7.
Prada, Collapse Re-Nylon Sneakers
Henrik Lischke is the senior fashion features editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he worked at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style.
