Sneaker Fatigue is Real: Why the Best Shoe of 2025 Is Already in Your Closet

The last fifteen years have not been short on key sneaker moments: Maisy Biden wearing Jordans to the 2021 presidential inauguration, Timothée Chalamet in white Converse at the Met Gala, the Rihanna-designed creeper-sneaker hybrid for Puma winning “Shoe of the Year” in 2016. But one of the most significant, in my opinion, happened back in 2010, when then-Céline designer Phoebe Philo took a bow after her show, wearing a pair of Adidas Stan Smiths. In the ensuing years, the tennis shoe that dates back to 1963 went mainstream, thanks to a boost from the fashion crowd. Raf Simons and Marc Jacobs were also noted fans.

In the mid-teens, sneakers went quiet and inconspicuous — think the low-profile, sleek lines and minimalism of a Common Projects low-top (with those telltale gilded numbers along the side to denote that, no, this is not something you can purchase at Foot Locker). Then, the humbly chic canvas Superga entered the mix. Remember those?

Then came Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga, two high fashion brands that supersized the sneaker on the runways, essentially ending the reign of restrained, low-key styles. Suddenly, once cringe and dad-ish runners from the likes of New Balance and Asics, and later the gorp-y Salomon XT6, started to feel fresh and interesting.

The point is: for as long as there have been sneakers, there has always been a particular style that stands out and captures the mainstream. A shoe that’s emblematic of a moment in the fashion zeitgeist. Sneakers are a bit like cars: there are seemingly countless brands, models and editions. They can be entirely practical and functional, or rare and highly collectible.

One of the most recent sneakers to capture the world’s attention was undoubtedly the Adidas Samba, which reached almost the same levels of ubiquity as the Stan Smiths more than a decade before it. Hitting its peak in 2024, the Samba marked a break from the chunky shoe look towards low-floor and soccer-inspired styles.  The Onitsuka Tiger and Puma Speedcat belong to the same club.

The formula for catapulting a certain shoe into the mainstream is so predictable you’d think it was designed by the same people who run the trains in Switzerland. First, a sneaker brand looks at its extensive lineup and plucks a slightly neglected style. The rumour goes that quantities are purposefully restricted so the style sells out, sparking frenzied desire. Throw in a collaboration with a buzzy designer (in this case, Wales Bonner) and a pap shot of Bella Hadid wearing the shoes for good measure. A star is (re)born.

Fashion consumers have been subconsciously trained on this predictable cycle of hype and burn. We’re practically wired to seek out the next big thing.

So, post-Samba, the natural question might be: what will be the most popular sneaker in 2025?

If you’re asking TikTok, as influencer Lauren Tilby did in a video that’s racked up 2.9 million views, the response is decidedly one of exhaustion. To put it bluntly: We’re tired. “I think we’ve been sneakered out babe,” goes one reply. “Do people not wear trainers until they fall apart anymore?” asked another.

I share the fatigue—and it’s not directed at any one particular shoe or brand. Blame the high-speed merry-go-round of microtrends. Blame the six hours of screen time I average on my phone each day. Blame our poor, burning planet. Reminder: the best sneaker this season is the one that’s already in your closet.

Speaking of my closet, I decided to pull out one of the oldest pairs of sneakers in my collection. They’re a limited release from Reebok, procured on a trip to Japan almost 10 years ago. Although they’re hardly pristine, they saw me through a 12-kilometre walk this past weekend — going the distance in more ways than one.

And yes, maybe the Samba is the emblem of our current sneaker fatigue — but it’s hard to fault the shoe for being so popular. It pairs just as well with trousers as it does with jeans and skirts. It’s subtle and a little retro. It leans far closer to being a “fashion” shoe than an athletic one.

Still, instead of fixating on one coveted pair, or trying to game the system and get ahead of the trends, (Nike Air Rifts are annoyingly hard to come by right now. Could they become the next big thing?) I’m diversifying my sneaker portfolio. Starting with the pairs I already own.