Everyone wants laces all the way to the tip now How climbing shoes inspired Scarpa's Mojito, Keen's Jasper and Fashion Week

While in London, Milan, New York and Paris but also Copenhagen and Berlin, gorpcore and technical clothing remain a leading trend, on the Fashion Week runways the influence of sports brands emerges in a more subtle way. Gore-tex appears in coats and evening jackets, and high-performance eyewear is embellished with playful details such as piercings and jewelry. One of the latest elements “borrowed” from athletes’ wardrobes and brought to Fashion Week with a few extra details seems to be climbing shoes. To be precise, what designers seem to particularly appreciate about this technical footwear are the closures: while sneakers or traditional shoes have laces and velcro placed on the instep, in climbing shoes it’s possible to tighten or loosen the shoe even toward the toe, a detail echoed by brands like Scarpa and Keen in their less technical yet still sporty Mojito and Jasper models.

On the runway, there are countless brands taking inspiration from the Mojito and the Jasper, often moving far away from the concept of technical footwear designed for climbing or mountain walks. One example comes from Dries Van Noten, Ganni, and Chloé, who for SS25 created leather mules and ballet flats laced up to the toe, or even better, from Jonathan Anderson, who for both his namesake label and Loewe designed “webbed” shoes. This aesthetic detail has also been embraced in recent fashion collaborations: for SS26, the brand KNWLS created hybrid - and apparently aerodynamic - sneakers together with Nike, equipped with laces even where they seem unnecessary; Versace refined and slimmed down the Onitsuka Tiger, while Ahluwalia worked with PUMA on an even more tightly laced edition of the Suede.

The key example of how “super-laced” shoes have now fully entered the fashion world comes from Jacquemus, the French brand that went viral over the past year thanks to its ultra-soft tennis shoes with exaggerated laces, reprised in the Maison’s collaboration with Nike for a new edition of the iconic Moon. But what makes the toe-length laces of shoes like the Mojito and Jasper such an attractive element for fashion brands? «This feature allows for a customized fit and better control,» explains Jeroen Meijer, marketing manager at Keen. As Cristina Parisotto, creator of Scarpa’s Mojito, also notes, laces that extend all the way to the toe in a climbing shoe are essential for greater safety and support of the foot, characteristics that sparked Parisotto’s inspiration years ago. The Mojito, she says, «was born from my desire to create a shoe that didn’t exist, a shoe for the new nomads.»

Although they’ve now been embraced by fashion and those who work in it, neither the Mojito nor the Jasper were designed for the fashion industry. Yet, as we’ll see, their description easily matches that of a Milanese creative who loves both clothing and mountain hikes. Meijer explains that the Keen model «was designed for those living a hybrid lifestyle, moving between the outdoors, the city, and everything in between. We’ve seen the Jasper worn by people who see it as an expression of individuality. Even though KEEN doesn’t rely on traditional ambassadors, the Jasper has naturally been embraced by artists, stylists, and musicians around the world.» Not to mention that the balance between aesthetics and functionality, as Parisotto points out, has become essential in fashion just as much as in technical apparel.

The success of the Jasper and Mojito has made the two models icons worth replicating. Parisotto tells us that in recent years the Scarpa brand has received «requests for collaborations and consulting from brands interested in the design and versatility of the Mojito,» but she emphasizes that for the company, authenticity in partnerships is always key. On the other hand, Keen, a brand well tuned to the needs and tastes of a young clientele, has carried out several collaborations even with names not directly linked to the mountain world. «The new generations connect with brands that have a real story and purpose, not just a product,» says Meijer. «The Jasper wasn’t created to follow trends, but it naturally fits into the contemporary fascination with outdoor heritage, comfort, and originality.»

Perhaps this is precisely why shoes with designs similar to the Jasper or Mojito appeal so much to the fashion industry: born from a purely functional need, the laces that reach the toe create a look alternative enough to attract attention without sacrificing comfort, quite the opposite. Playing with sneaker laces has always been one of the easiest and most repeated tricks in street style history - just think of when, a few years ago, it was trendy to keep shoes unlaced and tuck the laces behind the tongue. This time, given the technical nature of this stylistic detail, it might no longer be a passing trend: anyone who has ever tried the Jasper, the Mojito, or any other shoe with an adjustable fit knows well that comfort is a luxury far greater than any visible logo.