The numbers are in and to no one’s surprise, flat sneakers continue to reign supreme. But the Sambas and Mostros recently crowned as the de-facto stylish slim shoes are replaced by even slenderer balletcore offspring.
After last year’s adidas SL72 OG dethroned its very own Samba, 2025’s so-far buzziest shoe is another creation from the brand with the three stripes, something familiar but just a little different.
The adidas Taekwondo, second only to Kendrick Lamar’s Superbowl CELINE flares, is the highest-placing shoe on the Hottest Product ranking of the Q1 2025 LYST Index report, which analyzes quarterly search data.
And it’s closely followed by PUMA’s Speedcat Ballet at number 3, a more delicate variation of the conventional low-top shoe that become one of the buzziest shoes of late 2024.
The Speedcat Ballet, especially, helped bump searches for “ballet sneakers” an impressive 1,300% on LYST’s platform this past quarter.
Balletcore, a fad from only a couple years back, has returned to power as part of the mass slimming of shoes, infiltrating just about every designer on every tier from Vans to Louis Vuitton. Combined with the similarly sporty, similarly sleek Taekwondo, and you’re looking at the next generation of skinny shoes.
It started with the adidas Samba, a model that once dominated these product rankings, but the slim football sneaker has been dethroned in the past couple of years. First came adidas Gazelles, then Dries’ suede sneaker, and now the Taekwondo — slowly, with every new “shoe of the moment”, things get more dainty.
Oddly enough, the distinctly un-skinny Michael shoe by Paraboot came in 9th, one position behind UNIQLO’s $4 socks, signaling a slight fork in the road ahead for footwear trends. The French family footwear business is making rounds on social media lately, charming menswear types with its century-old craftsmanship. No shoezempic here.
Even LOEWE, LYST’s Hottest Brand of Q1 2025, has had its go at a ballet-like shoe, though it’s safe to say the Spanish house’s standing is due to Jonathan Anderson’s departure and all the gossip that preceded it rather than any single sneaker.
LOEWE reclaims pole position from the past two quarters’ champion, Miu Miu, though expect Miu Miu’s slip to be short-lived.
On a more surprising note, COS’s entry at number 6 marks the first time a fast fashion company sits this high (COS is owned by H&M). Comparatively pricey and heavily inspired by leading luxury labels, COS’s placement underscores its growing relevance as a high end-mimicking retailer that has soft-spotted a timely price/presentation dynamic.
Q2 has well-begun and flat sneakers officially rule on. But with such overexposure, there may well be an overthrow soon.
Remember, no one — and no shoe — remains at the top forever.
