Did you know that the first shoe designed by Adidas founder Adi Dassler was a studded track and field sprint shoe? The first Converse launched in 1917, specifically designed for basketball. Meanwhile, the first style ever sold under the Nike name was a football boot. In short, trainers were invented for sport. They’re designed to be comfortable, practical, light, supportive and supple – which is why the latest trend in trainers is a bit of a juxtaposition.
In recent years, we’ve seen a steady rise in heeled trainers, and for some brands, this style is nothing new. During Miu Miu’s SS21 show, Miuccia Prada sent heeled women’s football boots down the runway – and we’re not talking studs, but actual heels with decent elevation. Romanian designer Ancuta Sarca has been making upcycled stiletto-trainer hybrids since launching her brand back in 2019, while designers Paolina Russo and Marko Baković turned Superstars into heels back in 2020.
However, in 2026, some of the world’s biggest sports giants are experimenting with altitude. Last week, Converse dropped its latest collaboration with independent New York brand Vaquera, introducing a new silhouette, the VX-1 Heel. Unlike the pointed-toe stilettos popularised by Ancuta Sarca, this style pairs a chunky, padded, skate-shoe upper with a contrasting kitten heel – modelled by popstar of the moment Kim Petras.
At Nike, Martine Rose has been subtly increasing the height of her heels for several years. The London designer debuted her interpretation of Y2K’s Nike Shox R4 in 2022, but her more recent takes on the style lean closer to heeled mules than football boots (and are as popular as ever). Now Nike is teasing an even more obvious trainer-heel hybrid. In 2027, the brand will launch its Ovolo 2.0, an updated version of the 2004 silhouette. The new iteration has one distinct difference: a much higher heel.
Then there’s the controversial wedge trainer. First popularised in the early 2010s by designers like Isabel Marant and Marc Jacobs, the wedge trainer has been trying to elbow its way back into fashion for some time – Marant's Bekett wedge trainer surged by 630% on Lyst in 2025. Last month, during Milan Fashion Week’s SS27 shows, Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger took the wedge heel to new heights altogether. The brand debuted a series of calf-high lace-up boots, complete with a wedge heel.
But the boots were far from the only heel at Onitsuka Tiger’s SS27 show. The brand blended its slim, sporty styles with a range of heels, from chunky brogues to slingback stilettos. Meanwhile, back in February, the brand showed a viral kitten heel version of its popular black and yellow Mexico 66 trainers.
Elsewhere, a few days later at Paris Fashion Week, Lacoste transported showgoers to Roland-Garros, where Venus Williams sat front row wearing a pair of freaky sneaker-stiletto shoes that also appeared as part of the collection. Between iterations of the shoe in white, brown and silver, the standout trainer was Lacoste’s new ACE-T1, which uses an actual tennis ball as the heel. It’s a shoe inspired by tennis, but playing it might be a little trickier in these kicks.
The SS27 season was full of juxtapositions. Heavy, weighted materials met ultra-light fabric at Dior and Chanel, streetwear met girlhood at Simone Rocha, and sportswear met avant-garde metalwear at Junya Watanabe. The heeled trainer trend is an oxymoron in itself – mostly useless for anything other than appearing on trend. Then again, the fashion crowd isn’t exactly known for its sporting abilities.