We’ve already established that footwear (thankfully) has slimmed down considerably this season. Deck shoe fever is still running high, and driving moccasins, well, they never really went away. Louis Vuitton has taken the trend a step further, as only the famed French house can, by creating an entirely new category of shoe: the Sneakerina.
As you might have guessed, this bold hybrid design straddles the world of sneakersand ballet flats. Despite the shoe’s unabashed newness, there’s also a touch of nostalgia. It’s the type of footwear you could fathom Liam or Noel Gallagher sporting in the mid-nineties, paired with striped track pants and moody mugs.
According to data from sneakerhead-favourite online reseller StockX, sales of sneaker styles with ‘ballerina’ of ‘ballet’ in the title increased by more than 1,000 per cent between February and March, which searches for both terms are up +442 per cent YoY and +264 per cent YoY respectively for the month of March.
White the terminology may have gotten more specific, the ‘ballet’ sneaker has a design lineage that stretches back to such iconic styles as the Puma Speedcat and Onitsuka Tiger’s Mexico 66. And it’s not at all limited to sneakers. The introduction of Zegna’s ultralight, hyper-flexible moccasins was also a pivotal runway moment. Is it any wonder that Alessandro Sartori selected Martha Graham-trained dancer and actor Mads Mikkelsen as brand ambassador?
For men and women looking to break free from the constraints of prescriptive wardrobes, there’s no better place to start than with the footwear—specifically, the Sneakerina, which we’re betting will cement itself as the sneaker of summer. All the Vuitton hallmarks are present. From monogram pull tabs to a graphic LV applique on the shoe’s sides, in a rainbow of colours and patterns that range from metallic and velvet-effect leathers to sequin embroidery (for an edgy black-tie look) and technical satin.
All that to say that there’s truly a Sneakerina to suit any taste—and the shoe isn’t just another pretty face. With a sacchetto construction that moves as much as you do, it’s a testament that elegance and function can coexist. Dress it up or down: Which will you choose?
Previously published on Robb Report USA.
Featured photo by Lauren Bamford for Louis Vuitton
