The visual saturation of Samba, Gazelle and Air Jordan. The absolute predominance of classics such as Converse, Air Force or Superstar. Over the past 20 years, sneakers have been everywhere.
The rise of athletes to the level of super celebrities, the universal acceptance of sports style and years of pandemic have only strengthened the market and benefited both established brands Nike, Adidas and Puma) and boosted newcomers (New Balance and On, for example).
But it looks like our feet – and eyes – will get used to new shoe models in the coming years.
At least that’s what Bank of America analysts predict. With a 61-page report published in early January, a new decree in the world of fashion – and the economy – was made: the era of sneakers has come to an end.
For skeptics, the proof comes from the numbers: sneakers represent 60% of footwear sales in the United States, according to Beth Goldstein, an analyst at Circana, a predictive market analysis company. The business is bigger than ever. It seems contradictory to determine its decline if the percentage were not in a saturation scenario, that is, there is no more room for it to grow.
The casualization of fashion is not on its deathbed but has reached an era of stabilization. And, when this happens, we can create expectations: it is time for the market to reinvent itself.
It seems that the current update comes with a touch of sophistication. In addition to the luxury sneakers already seen on the feet of celebrities, popular models now come with an extra layer of design, such as the New Balance 1906L or the Adidas Samba Jane, which are closer to a golf club than a street run.
