The ‘fisherman sandal’ isn’t trendy—which is exactly why fashion loves it

For the better part of two decades, fashion has been engaged in a curious exercise: taking the least glamorous item in the room and convincing everyone it is the most desirable item to possess.

First came the Birkenstock. Then the orthopaedic-looking ‘Dad sneaker’. Then the infamous Tabi. And now, the humble fisherman sandal seems to have joined the club.

This summer, the woven leather sandal, with its comfort-focused soles once associated with European fishermen, primary school uniforms, and practical holiday packing lists, has become fashion's latest object of desire. But not everyone knows about it, and that’s also why fashion insiders absolutely adore it.

The clue isn't simply that celebrities are wearing it—celebrities wear everything. The clue is that the people who work in fashion are wearing it. And today, the woven leather silhouette has become one of fashion's most reliable insider tells.

The rise of intellectual dressing

There is a growing fascination with clothes that suggest knowledge rather than wealth. Taste rather than trend-chasing. You see it in the return of wire-rimmed spectacles. In the popularity of oversized men's shirts and tailored trousers. In the resurgence of loafers, canvas totes, and jackets that feel vaguely professorial. The fisherman sandal belongs naturally within this world.

There is a faintly academic air to it. Slightly literary. It looks like something discovered while browsing in a vintage thrift store, or in an independent boutique, or maybe even on a mysterious stranger in a book cafe. Which, of course, makes fashion love it even more.

In some circles, the fisherman sandal has begun occupying the same cultural space that’s also held by the Maison Margiela Tabi. Not because they look remotely alike, but because both deliver that sense of anti-fashion, normcore, with a hefty serving of comfort that anyone who likes to break free from boxes and binaries naturally gravitates towards.

The people who understand them understand them. Everyone else is often left wondering why anyone would willingly wear such a pair.

The luxury houses made it official

While fisherman sandals have existed for centuries, their modern fashion renaissance owes much to luxury fashion's ongoing fascination with humble objects.

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's label, The Row, has repeatedly featured fisherman sandals within its collections and retail offerings, transforming a traditionally practical shoe into one of the most coveted pieces in contemporary luxury fashion. The brand's chunky leather fisherman sandals developed a cult following so intense that they inspired countless high-street imitations and waiting lists. 

Then came the runways. For Spring 2024, fisherman sandals appeared at brands including Loewe, Hermès, and The Row, cementing their place within contemporary luxury wardrobes. At Loewe, Jonathan Anderson paired them with the house's characteristically cerebral take on dressing. Hermès approached the silhouette through its longstanding commitment to leather craftsmanship. The Row continued treating them as an everyday essential rather than a seasonal novelty.

Prada, too, has repeatedly explored cage-like and utilitarian sandal silhouettes that draw from the same functional DNA.

What all these interpretations share is an appreciation for craftsmanship, comfort, and practicality. The fisherman sandal's appeal lies in its construction; it’s a design that has survived largely unchanged because it was already working perfectly.

Everyone is wearing them, and no gender is claiming them

The current celebrity fan club is unusually diverse. Hailey Bieber has worn black leather fisherman sandals repeatedly during off-duty outings, styling them with oversized shirts, leather jackets, white socks, relaxed denim, and minimalist separates. Kendall Jenner has similarly adopted them as part of her summer wardrobe, too.

Meanwhile, Robert Pattinson has also become part of the conversation when he wore leather fisherman sandals to the New York City premiere of his thriller-comedy film, Die My Love. Pairing the shoes with a black tuxedo and a stole draped at the waist. His broader embrace of unconventional menswear and tailoring has helped normalise the footwear that once felt reserved only for holidays or coastal escapes, rather than for glamorous movie premiers and red carpet events.

What makes the fisherman sandal remarkable is that nobody is wearing it ironically anymore. The joke has disappeared. People genuinely like the shoe.

The Dude walked so fashion insiders could run

Long before luxury fashion rediscovered the silhouette, fisherman sandals already possessed an unexpected pop-cultural legacy.

Their most famous appearance arguably came through the jelly fisherman sandals worn by The Dude in The Big Lebowski (1998). Jeff Bridges’ perpetually laid-back protagonist wore translucent jelly sandals with complete indifference that only made the shoes even cooler.

At the time, nobody recognised the look as fashionable. It was simply part of the character's easy-going, anti-fashion philosophy. Looking back now, though, it feels strangely prophetic.

The Dude's wardrobe anticipated many of the ideas contemporary fashion would later embrace: normcore, anti-fashion, ugly-pretty dressing, lived-in textures, and the appeal of clothes that are unconcerned with performing style. Fashion eventually caught up. And movie buffs are catching the references.

India is perfectly primed for the shoe’s comeback 

That cyclical return of nostalgia, from runway reinterpretations to cult film references, has a way of spilling beyond Western fashion capitals. And right now, it is finding its most practical expression closer to home.

With the Indian monsoons finally in swing, the appeal of fisherman sandals is even more practical than nostalgic. Water-resistant, easy to clean, and considerably more stylish than most rainy-season footwear, it feels perfectly suited to navigating the rainy city terrain without sacrificing aesthetics. The fact that it also happens to carry a healthy dose of '90s nostalgia is simply a bonus.

The fisherman sandal's greatest achievement is probably that it never feels like it is trying too hard. It sits somewhere between a dress shoe and a sandal. Between masculinity and femininity. Between practicality and luxury.

Even though fashion spends an extraordinary amount of time searching for newness, the fisherman sandal reminds us that the most interesting thing is often already sitting in the archives. The rest of us just needed a few decades to appreciate it.

All images: Getty Images

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