Paris Fashion Week was a belter, bringing together some of the best in the game in a week-long showcase. Y/Project put on a rave-ready textured display, Sarah Burton’s last Alexander McQueen show was an emotional farewell, and Chanel kept it casual with its haute-meets-holiday collection. Alongside the usual stellar stilettos and boots we’re used to seeing each season, SS24 put the post-sneaker-world hype to bed, showing us how to keep things cool and casual with a high-end sneaker. Keep reading to see Culted’s take on the best shoes from the Paris mega-week.
Miu Miu x New Balance’s “Worn by Supermodels” Sneakers
Known for its dainty leather flats, Miu Miu activated sport mode for this release. New Balance is favoured by dads and supermodels alike, and Miu Miu gets it.
For its latest co-branded silhouette, Miuccia Prada’s youngest brainchild picked up where it left off on its first collaboration on the 574, showcasing a deconstructed 530 model that did away with its usual chunky sole, opting for a pared-back suede design.
Arriving in a hairy brown and light grey suede colourway, contrast was provided through regular white laces, which met with brown rope-style laces at the collar. Whatever you want to call it, Miu Miu’s latest sneaker is bang on trend and pretty comfy, too.
Balenciaga’s Cargo Sneaker
Balenciaga knows a thing or two about chunky sneakers, having first debuted the hefty Triple S sneaker in 2017, and for SS24, the chunky trainer triumphed once again. Its newest runner is large and in charge, first seen paired with athleisure-heavy tracksuit looks and relaxed-fit denim.
The Cargo sneaker felt typically Balenciaga, enlarging regular runners for a pronounced and oversized aesthetic which felt at home as part of the Demna-fied display. In a first for the brand, we saw a see now buy now model deployed, with the shoes being made available for purchase straight after the show, perfect for the season ahead.
Margiela’s Tabi-Filled Display
John Galliano knows we’ll never tire of Tabis – the iconic split-toe footwear inspired by the Japanese tabi sock.
In Maison Margiela‘s SS24 display, we saw a Lace-up Oxford style, perfectly complementing traditional tailoring, which was deconstructed as part of the theatrical show.
We also saw a painted white Mary Jane featuring contrasting black detailing and a cut-out vamp. A thin top layer of paint revealed the black leather underneath, delivering some on-brand imperfection into the avant-garde performance.
Later, we saw the split-toe stiletto subvert sexy footwear. The stiletto came in grey, which was accented with lace detailing and black straps, to round off a stand-out shoe offering, sending Margiela’s cult-like following into overdrive.
Y/Project’s Rave-Ready Work Boots
Y/Project’s SS24 runway show was a couture-infused club-ready display, with suitably sturdy footwear offering to match. With the Glenn Martens-led label known for its eccentric and playful approach to clothing worn on the street, we saw rugged work boots stomp down the runway.
The baggy boots were worn with shorts to reveal the calf-length design, showcasing a fierce footwear offering made for the dance floor.
LOEWE Gets Comfortable
When it comes to making captivating footwear, Jonathan Anderson’s LOEWE leads the way, having previously brought us balloon pumps and comic foam pumps. While we saw our fair share of sexy stilettos this season, the Anderson-helmed House also brought comfortable practicality to the table.
The Roman Empire is on everyone’s mind right now, including LOEWE’s. Leather sandals featured diagonal straps across the forefoot and were accented with an oversized silver buckle, working with a singular toe strap for support. Sitting atop a platform sole, these statement sandals were an easy-on-the-eye, laid-back addition to the display.
Despite having designed the collection in Paris, it appears the enduring legacy of the Birkenstock Boston (or as well like to call it, the Broadway Market Beater) was too hard to ignore for LOEWE’s SS24 collection.
In the days running up to the Paris Fashion Week SS24 show, Anderson shared a video on Instagram showcasing a new hairy suede mule, arriving in a trio of light brown, muted grey and jet black colourways. These were paired with high-waisted, relaxed-fitting trousers to bring an uber-chill, swift half-on-a-Sunday vibe to this elevated collection.
Yohji Yamamoto’s Bowling Shoe
Yohji Yamamoto SS24 was a calm and stripped-back affair, working with a muted, minimal black-and-white colour palette as part of a tried-and-tested recipe for success. While the Japanese designer is known for his avant-garde approach to tailoring, for his footwear, he appeared to look to his long-standing project with adidas, Y-3, for inspiration – which was founded to get more people on the street to wear his clothes.
Accenting monochrome textured dresses were black and white panelled lace-up flats which drew on the design aesthetic of bowling shoes. The two-tone sneakers were constructed from a white side panel with a black centre panel and lacing providing contrast, once again seeing Yamamoto strike a chord with fashion fans through elevated nods to the everyday.
Ottolinger x PUMA Mostro
This Paris Fashion Week, Ottolinger teamed up with PUMA for a second time, revealing the collaboration via co-branded monster trucks ahead of the show. As part of the collaboration, we saw the two brands bring back the PUMA Mostro (Italian for monster). In its ‘90s heyday, we saw the style donned by none other than Madonna, and it’s safe to say, this time round, a collaboration with It-Girl-approved Ottolinger is a great way to get the shoe back in the spotlight.
The boot is functional and fashionable, with a grip-grabbing textured tread pattern extending onto the toe for maximum traction and secure boot-style construction. This monstrous shoe perfectly aligns with Ottolinger’s “deconstruct to reconstruct” approach, redefining what a sneaker can look like for its SS24 collection.
Kiko Kostadinov Striped Ballet Flats
When it comes to kitsch, quirky and cool, Kiko Kostadinov is a leader of the pack, known for incorporating function-focused technology into its historically-inspired footwear. Laura and Deanna Fanning are no strangers to creating cool creps, having teamed with ASICS and Hysteric Glamour last year for a gorpy girly collab that had clued up fashion girlies in a chokehold.
Paris Fashion Week SS24 saw more of the same, with its army of brand-loyal attendees mostly wearing Kostadinov on foot. This time around, we saw the Fanning twins fuse together the ballet flat with a sleek, vintage sneaker, which saw textured leather accented with striking turquoise detailing. A cut-out vamp was completed with ribbon lacing, which was paired with a golden leather heel tab as part of the sporty-meets-chic design. With a hybrid design as versatile as this one that offers form and function, we already know it’s going to be a hit.
Comme des Garçons’ Jelly Sneakers
No stranger to a collaboration, having previously been behind some sought-after takes on classic silhouettes from Nike to New Balance and more, the Rei Kawakubo-designed womenswear collection from Comme des Garçons showed that it doesn’t always need a collaboration to make a solid sneaker.
Poking from beneath bold pink ruched dresses were translucent multicoloured sneakers complete with gem detailing on the toe box and sidewall. Sitting on top of a platform sole, these sneakers matched an avant-garde floral display. Metal hoop eyelets housed athletic white laces in a playful take on performance footwear, taking an everyday item and giving it an on-brand revamp.
An Unexpected Issey Miyake x New Balance Collaboration
Issey Miyake has long been known for its forward-thinking approach to fashionable garments, and for SS24, we saw this approach extended into its footwear offering.
This Paris Fashion Week, it teamed up with New Balance for a durable Vibram-soled sneaker complete with New Balance branding. A wide upper is reinforced with leather straps across the toe box and features rope-style lacing concealed within the shoe, similar to the system used on hiking sneakers.
The sporty silhouette fits perfectly into the Issey Miyake world – it’s known for having clothes that move with you, and now its shoes will help you further explore the Japanese House’s freedom in more ways than one.
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