They were once worn by athletes to win Olympic track races in the 1970s. Now, slim, low-profile sneakers are more often seen on the style set than in the context of 5,000-meter sprints.

Harry Styles has several pairs of the oft-sold out Dries Van Noten’s panelled leather and suede sneakers ($495), while Hailey Bieber, Kaia Gerber and Addison Rae are regularly seen out and about in their vividly-colored Onitsuka Tiger styles (ranging from $155 to $215). Dua Lipa, a global brand ambassador for Puma, has the more wallet-friendly compact Speed Cat silhouette in red, black, pink and even a silver ballerina version ($100).

In June, Prada put forward its own offering with the new Montecarlo sneaker ($1,100) — a re-edition of a design from Spring-Summer 2005. Bottega Veneta describes its Orbit Flash shoe ($990) as “a low-top lace-up ballet sneaker” with “supple suede with lightweight nylon”, while Miu Miu boasts that its Plume ($950) style is “sleek and extremely light” — though they do offer a version where this aerodynamic design is weighed down with shoelace charms and miniature keyrings.

“It’s more simple, it’s less flashy,” said David Fischer, founder and CEO of youth culture platform Highsnobiety, in a phone interview, observing the current footwear aesthetic. Global retail analytics company Edited’s analyst and footwear expert Katharine Carter agreed, telling CNN that slimline running-inspired trainers have emerged as 2025’s biggest sneaker trend.

Even mass-market brands such as H&M and Zara are now getting in on the action: Carter noted an uptick of 367% more slim-soled styles flooding the shelves for the Spring-Summer 2025 season compared to 2024. By contrast, Edited estimates new designs of chunky and platform sneakers have decreased 37% year-on-year.