Fashion Trends

Remember Wedge Trainers? They’re Back

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Tyrone Lebon

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Just when you thought that 2021’s Crocs renaissance had signalled the end of wacky shoe comebacks, 2022 brings with it the revival of wedge trainers. Yep, heeled sneakers are back.

Beyoncé wearing Isabel Marant’s beloved Bekett sneakers in her “Love On Top” music video.

Here’s the fashion 101 on the predecessor of Dad trainers. Sporty heel-trainer hybrids are for people who want the comfort of a sneaker, but with the sass of a heel. Like Crocs, wedge trainers are truly divisive.

Wedge kicks originator Isabel Marant – who unveiled her Bekett style in 2011 – counted everyone from Rihanna to Kate Bosworth, Gisele Bündchen to Irina Shayk as fans during the Bekett’s heyday. Beyoncé even wore them with tights, a leotard and an embellished captain’s hat in her “Love On Top” music video. 

Read more: The Key Spring/Summer Shoe Trends 2022 To Know Now

Rainbow wedged sneakers were seen at Marc by Marc Jacobs’s spring/summer 2012 show.

Elsewhere, Marc Jacobs caused a frenzy with his preppy rainbow wedge sneakers during the spring/summer 2012 season. Iconic trainer styles, including Nike’s well-loved Dunks and Adidas’s timeless Stan Smith, have also been given the platform treatment over time. Several years before wedge sneakers were even on the fashion circuit, Victoria Beckham attended a Dodgers game wearing heeled Dries Van Noten plimsoles.

Victoria Beckham was ahead of the curve in 2007 when she wore platformed Dries Van Noten plimsoles to a Dodgers game. 

Jon Soohoo

Now, pumped-up kicks have reentered the mainstream. Marant introduced an updated version of her Bekett, named the Balskee, last summer. The designer added a couple of inches to her signature silhouette, worn effortlessly by Adut Akech in an accompanying campaign. 

Adut Akech fronted Isabel Marant’s campaign for her Balskee sneaker, inspired by her original Bekett style. 

Footie lovers, Rei Kawakubo’s heeled take on Nike’s 1992 Premier boot for Comme des Garçons is for you. It’s not a wedge, but rather a kitten heel pepped up with jagged studs and a swoosh tick. Prada’s low-heeled trainers are also popular, and its wedge trainers are doing the rounds on resale sites.

Rei Kawakubo added an angular kitten heel to Nike’s 1992 Premier football boots for a collaboration unveiled last year. 

Need some current inspiration on how to wear them? Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has recently been wearing Sorel’s Joan Of Arctic Wedge II booties and countless influencers were wearing wedged mules last summer. Our recommended New Year’s resolution? Level up your shoe game – literally.

Isabel Marant Balskee high-top wedge-heel leather trainers

£346
MatchesFashion
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Isabel Marant Bekett leather and suede sneakers

£415
Mytheresa
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