Each year, a new hybrid item enters our fashion lexicon, and this year it’s all about the sneakerina. The “sneakerfication” of shoes is a movement that we’ve been documenting for several years. As Daniel Rodgers wrote in 2024, “the sneaker-fied shoe is simply what happens when the convergent forces of meme culture and streetwear combine, producing silhouettes that simultaneously repel and draw people in.”
This ballet pump was an obvious target to be sneaker-fied, given the flat shoe revival we’ve seen in recent years. Mutant trainers are all about contrast, and there’s an unlikely synergy between merging the ergonomic, technical features you’d find on a performance sneaker with ribbons, Mary-Jane straps and graceful, rounded toes associated with ballerinas.
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I am now receiving almost daily PR emails about sneakerinas, which has followed the classic ugly-shoe trajectory comprising a number of crucial steps leading to its recent mainstream appeal. There was the consistent Chloë Sevigny endorsement (always a trend predictor), runway apperances (Cecilie Bahnsen’s Sara sneakers featured in its spring/summer 2022 collection and Simone Rocha has been backing the “ballerainer”) and a series of buzzy collaborations targeted to appeal to both fashion collectors and sneakerheads alike (see the Salomon and MM6 Maison Margiela Mary-Jane style).
In the celebrity world, sneakerinas have now overtaken ballet flats as the off-duty shoe of choice. They are a little weird and unexpected, but the streamlined silhouette and delicate aesthetic means they are far easier to style than your average chunky sneaker, and will go as well with a slip dress as any Mary-Janes would.
Bella Hadid recently leaned into a barre aesthetic, pairing hers with rehearsal-ready capri leggings, while Sevigny also embraced a sporty mood, teaming hers with track shorts and a varsity jersey. Charli xcx has been wearing her powder pink satin Vivaias with miniskirts in New York and Coachella, while Jennifer Lawrence wore hers with tailored trousers. Keep reading for our guide to how to wear ballet sneakers this summer.
With statement jacket + tailored trousers
