Fashion Meets Sport with These Hybrid Footwear Launches
From Coperni x PUMA to Reebok x Botter, cleats are becoming couture.
Fashion is in its sporty chic era as brands like Coperni and MM6 Maison Margiela are experimenting with sports-inspired silhouettes and brand partnerships. Fashion’s latest preoccupation with sports shoes may be an instance of life imitating art as many of us have become pickleball and tennis hobbyists thanks to Zendaya. With the rise of the athlete It-Girl such as Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, hybrid sports sneakers offer the less agile an opportunity to level up their would-be tunnel fits. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, brands like Botter and Reebok are teaming up to deliver Hall of Fame-worthy footwear.
The latest releases are taking cues from the court, transforming cleats into haute couture. Hybrid sports shoes marry form with function, delivering aerodynamic silhouettes crafted from premium materials. The cross genre sneakers push boundaries, presenting futuristic footwear equipped with tech-focused capabilities.
Continue scrolling below to see the best fashion-sports shoe hybrids.
PUMA x Coperni
PUMA and Coperni are the ultimate all-star team, recently embarking on their second footwear collaboration, the 90 SQR sneaker. The deeply angular design looks to PUMA’s football boot for inspiration with a dramatic square toe – hence, its moniker. The incorporation of taped seams along with its mesh base enhances its functionality, while the co-branding on the lace tips and Coperni’s logo on the heels makes it suitable for both astroturf and the runway.
Lacoste
For its Fall/Winter 2024 season, Lacoste‘s Creative Director Pelagia Kolotouros looks to René Lacoste himself for inspiration, channeling the renowned tennis player’s spirit. One of the original pioneers of sporty fashion, the athlete was known as one of the Four Musketeers. He was the first Frenchman to win the Davis Cup in America in 1927, which eventually led to the creation of the Roland-Garros stadium and thus, the French Open. Unveiled during Paris Fashion Week, the collection features a cleat-heel hybrid and also boasts a textured sole for a better grip. The shoe arrives in various colorways including monochromatic white, green, yellow and cream.
Offside Outlet
Offside Outlet easily earns a gold medal for its “Home Sweet Home” collection. Led by Ayesha Brown, the streetwear brand is an MVP when it comes to fusing fashion and football. The shoe offers an almost aristocratic silhouette, opting for a soft, rounded toe and a demure heel. Offside Outlet borrows from the field with the addition of dynamic white leather straps on top of supple black and red suede. Elsewhere, technicolor sneakers boasting the Euro 2024 logo serve up a more casual counterpart.
Botter x Reebok
Caribbean couture brand Botter joined forces with Reebok to engineer the Energia Bo Két sneaker. Initially revealed on the Spring/Summer 2024 runway, the slick shoe takes its creative cues from soccer and climbing to deliver superior craftsmanship. Stepping forward in a monochromatic cream finish alongside citrus yellow and black hues, the Energia Bo Két features a uniquely curved rubber sole and buoyant heel, mimicking cleats.
MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon
MM6 Maison Margiela lends its penchant for precision to pragmatic sportswear brand Salomon for the Salomon XT-4 mules. Merging experimentation with finesse, the slip-on shoes utilize the Agile Chassis Skeleton for its construction. The one-pull Quicklace system and carbon-like coating on the mesh uppers add to its unparalleled futuristic features. Meanwhile, the dual-density midsoles, Molded OrthoLite sockliners and Mud Contragrip outsoles demonstrate the collaborators’ commitment to functionality as well as form.
Ancuta Sarca
Loved for her non-conformist approach, Ancuta Sarca rose to footwear fame by upcycling Nike sneakers into sleek kitten heels. As the brand continues to grow as a standalone name, the concept remains cemented at the intersection of fashion and sport. Sarca’s Lithium Strap Sandal is painted in a futuristic chrome with mesh, sneaker material, while slinky straps replace laces.
Oakley Factory Team
Conceptualized by Brain Dead, Oakley Factory Team‘s SS24 launch is plucked out of a lucid cybercore dream. The collection’s innovative design reveals a reverence for both the natural and man-made world. Slip-on sneakers bear sculptural soles that mimic crashing waves, while the construction utilizes a melange of synthetic and natural materials from lycra and EVA to calf leather. Sandals with perforated suede underscores a utilitarian mindset and the vivid tapestry of colors illustrates the brand’s refusal to compromise style.
