The bulky Adidas Falcon sneakers sold out less than 24 hours after their release in Australia after being promoted by celebrity Kylie Jenner.
The 90s inspired dad-style runners were worn by the 21-year old Jenner, who posted a photo of herself wearing the shoes on her Instagram page as part of an advertising deal with Adidas. The Falcon sneakers were based off the Falcon Dorf model of the 90s.
Other celebrities who have sported the “dad” shoe include Kourtney Kardashian and John Mayer.
Arguably, social media influencer marketing worked its magic after the white-style Falcon sold out across multiple Australian fashion websites within a day of release. The chunky sneaker style has also seen an increase in sales for brands such as Skechers.
The bulky, masculine appearance of the shoe is meant to represent the confident and bold attitude of young modern women, who add a feminine component to the look and challenge the boundaries of femininity. It is an interesting move for the fashion industry, combining street-style sneakers with high fashion.
The shoes reflect a growing sporty feminine trend, with baggy shorts, pants and jackets becoming increasingly popular since their revival in 2017. The shoes help to prove once again that retro is cool, with loose, baggy clothes that one’s dad might wear suddenly being worn by models on the runway.
Many shoe brands have picked up on the trend, including Louis Vutton, Balenciaga, FILA and Nike amongst them.
The vintage style reflects the growing fashion trend towards nostalgia, though some designers have blended the classic, chunky look with a futuristic vibe – combining excessively large soles, straps, buckles and foam technology.
The “ugly” sneaker trend suggests that in the case of footwear, less is no longer more.