Hiking Shoes Are On Every Designer's Moodboard
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The Best Sneakers Are Alpine-Grade
Hiking shoes are having a moment in fashion. From LOEWE to Zara, designers across the price spectrum are determined to help the approach shoe aesthetic reach higher altitudes — leading to much confusion on which boots are actually made for walking.
Of course, fashion's mainstreaming of (shudder) gorpcore isn’t new. Consumers have long been flocking to mountaineering brands to signal their taste for adventure and offlineness. Believe it or not, there was a time when neither Arc'teryx nor Salomon were all that relevant to the in-crowd, and the in-crowd was not all that relevant to them either. Now that the #touchgrass look is more coveted than ever, let's take a look at what distinguishes the real backcountry stompers from their cosplaying counterparts.
I remember seeing the first signs of this trend while living in Copenhagen circa 2022, where I was ceaselessly impressed at Danish men's creativity in turning dorky, techy footwear into the centerpiece of one irritatingly cool outfit after another. Though they’re now subject to widespread memery, these Scandi-chic, utility-oriented garment compositions were a breath of fresh air (and inspired many a trip out yonder to literally inhale some) opposite the decade's earlier focus on lazy loungewear.
Picture those red-laced Keens, suede Scarpas, or color-blocked La Sportivas atop wide-legged denim or cargos with a deep blue chore jacket and crisp white tee. Meanwhile, upstarts like ROA and Diemme and Village PM made it a mission to target those same style-attuned yet outdoorsy zillennial urbanites, rather than just wait to be adopted by them by chance. Scarosso performed a similar feat, albeit for a slightly older, wealthier clientele.
Today, luxury and the mass market’s co-opting of the trail-ish sneaker runs rampant, despite how activities like running, ascending, or approaching of any kind in COS or Prada's interpretations would be ill-advised. Cynics call this bandwagonning; the more generous may deem it a simple commercial response to a cultural phenomenon.
The hiking community itself seems delighted by the attention, go figure. As with everything niche that reaches broader notoriety, there's always an element of gatekeeping as seen in the posts, Reddit threads and short-form video essays about people needing "the right gear for scrambling up the stairs to the coffee shop." Nonetheless, my impression of these self-proclaimed early adopters (and real climbers, explorers, yadda yadda) is that they do, in fact, relish in the momentum of their hobby, lifestyle, and accompanying jargon. Why? Because the companies that churn out their favorite garb only stand to gain.
It's reciprocal, you see. Once an Our Legacy starts to resemble a Merrell, the latter starts taking notes from the former as well: The influence on design language isn't one-sided, but a two-way street. The ensuing dialogue, as wayposted by GORE-TEX and Vibram, ultimately benefits the quality and variety of shapes and shades that the present's best footwear comes in. The North Face's excellently sneaker-fied terrain kicks are among many great examples of that. “Geography-teacher-core, no more!” you can practically hear them shout.
Sure, some rubber toe caps are purely decorative; in other cases, maybe the (conveniently à la mode) low-profile sole and extended lacing system are just for show. I mean, is anyone actually trying to summit gravelly uphill paths in a pair of… Crocs?! I don't think so. But is our increased interest in specialty alpine-grade footwear a direct result of the popularization of these styles that now suddenly feel approachable? I know so.
Open Tabs: Everything We've Got Our Eyes On Right Now
Those not swayed by the approach shoe craze, fear not — plenty of alternatives await, like the Buck Mason x Moonstar deck shoes and slip-ons. Simple and effective.
Can't pick between laces and laceless? Lucky for you, Prada's America’s Cup can whip up a mean velcro.
Anyone with some sense owns a Timberland boat shoe by now. But do they own its gorgeous derby yet?
These Ray-Bans feel like a high fashion edit of the classic Wayfarers.
Is a three-figure drawstring cap a ridiculous purchase? Yes. Does it slap still ‘cause it's Miu Miu? Also yes.
Maison Margiela's windbreaker is very soccer-y, but you'll get a kick (ha) out of it for the rest of the year too.
Emily Dawn Long modeled this handsome, 1/100 plaid shirt after a “prototype” her dad had custom tailored way back when. Love me a piece with a story, don't you?
After countless conversations about perfect white tees, how about a perfect navy tee for a change, like Carter Young's?
Intriguing swimwear for men is a hard find. Lido's bold-hued cuts from Venice, Italy, are fresh with a dash of vintage la dolce vita spirit sprinkled in.
Post-dip, wrap up in these newly sailor-striped fringe towels by TEKLA, retrieved from inside a matching roomy beach bag. Ugh, does summer really have to end?
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