Will the trend for unusual shoes survive in 2026? Now that fashion has decided to put comfort first

There comes a moment in life when we are no longer willing to suffer. Sure, the price to pay for comfort is wearing shoes that look like potatoes, but by now it seems the fashion world has made its peace with that. A few days ago, the New York Times published an article titled Do the Best Shoes Look Like… Potatoes?, in which the newspaper examines the resemblance between a certain plethora of footwear and the famous tuber. Never in recent years have we witnessed such a strong spread of comfortable shoes that are socially accepted in their ungainly and unflattering forms. UGG boots have stepped out of the comfort zone of Australian surfers to be worn by models walking around cities, while sales of the Birkenstock Boston have risen by 16% despite the price increase. Meanwhile, Crocs now collaborate with brands like Simone Rocha and Balenciaga.

It was to be expected, after all. Louis Vuitton didn’t randomly choose to put a pair of slippers disguised as shoes, wide and shapeless, on the FW25 runway. Nor did Jonathan Anderson casually decide to place a giant chain on a slipper to make it more socially acceptable to wear outside. There is a myriad of small clues that clearly show how we’ve reached the point of wanting to be comfortable. The term potato-shoe was born in the pages of the New York Times in 1997, referring to the Nike Air-Moc, and today is used by social media users to describe the Birkenstock Boston. They’ve come a long way.

The role of the pandemic in the spread of the potato-shoe.

As Jacob Gallagher, author of the NYT article, rightly notes, the origins of this “crime,” in its most obvious form, begin with C and end with ovid-19. After months and months in total comfort, who would ever expose themselves again to the torture of pointy shoes? It was a natural choice, influenced by a period of confinement that completely reduced our motor ability, lulling us in the warmth of soft, fur-lined slippers worn all day long. Softness and warmth: basically mashed potatoes. Thus, in 2021, Crocs sales skyrocketed, while Birkenstock Boston became one of the hottest products in the Lyst Index for two consecutive years.

However, the pandemic didn’t invent anything new. The spread of yoga and pilates, holistic lifestyles, and everything that can be considered healthy - including post-hangover mineral IV drips and drinking matcha tea instead of coffee - had already contributed to the emergence of footwear aimed at guaranteeing a return to nature. Among them, the barefoot shoes, which promise to improve balance and gait thanks to their thin soles, without heel lift and with more room for the toes. Practically fashion’s sleep-paralysis demon in the shape of a Novella potato.

Before this green revolution, there were the skaters, with their DC, Globe, and other elephantine shoes. But if there is anyone who truly normalized the use of questionably shaped footwear, it’s Ye. It was 2019 when his brand launched the Yeezy Foam Runner, a shoe that could barely be defined as such, to the point of being considered the missing link between a prototype and a finished product. In an article for GQ, Rachel Tashjian described its shape as “improbably futuristic”, mocked and memed online because it seemed to be “designed to solve problems not yet recognized.” Looking at it with today’s eyes, it’s clear what problem those shoes solved: they give plenty of space for the toes, have a soft sole, and are easy to put on and take off. As exaggerated as they are, they’re still an example of a potato-shoe, followed by other potato-shoes that are certainly just as comfortable.

The obsession with strange shoes

The final blow was dealt by the fashion for ugly shoes. We can sweetly call them tubers, but the reality is that these shoes are among the least flattering things observable in nature. In 2025, however, this is anything but a problem. If, on one hand, the rise of ugly shoes - meaning eclectic and unconventional ones, including the Nike Air Rift - fulfills the need to freely express one’s personal style, on the other hand it has simply become an excuse to wear shoes whose comfort outweighs their aesthetics. Furthermore, observing the recent global sell-out of the Vibram FiveFingers, it becomes clear how the versatility of strange shoes can even serve as a first excuse to embrace comfort. Originally designed to simulate barefoot walking as closely as possible, they became the ultimate trend of last spring-summer: “Many influencers started using the FiveFingers because they were drawn to their aesthetics, but after wearing them they realized how incredible the feeling was,” said Carmen Marani, General Manager of Vibram. The road toward orthopedic shoes might be smoother than expected.

From the conceptual fashion of Prada to the more polished aesthetic of Brunello Cucinelli, today every fashion brand includes a potato-shoe in its assortment. To say it à la Miranda Priestly: “Everybody wants this.”