Why ugly shoes are the hottest thing in fashion right now

At some point, in the past few years, fashion’s fixation with polish began to dull. The stiletto—once a symbol of femininity and ruthless ambition—has been quietly displaced. What's replaced it? Foam runners sculpted like alien relics, rubber clogs formerly relegated to gardening, and sandals that seem borrowed from a European grandfather on a spa retreat.

What was once considered visually offensive has become culturally compelling. The ugly shoe is no longer an in-joke. It’s an aesthetic ideology.

Comfort, recontextualised  

 

There’s no pretending Crocs are beautiful in the conventional sense. Their porous, bulbous shape, the almost medical sheen—and yet, their presence spans Balenciaga runway models and Justin Bieber street sightings. Birkenstocks, once shorthand for anti-fashion utility, are now in rotation beside Miu Miu’s satin ballet flats and Gucci’s monogrammed slingbacks. Gigi Hadid and Selena Gomez are often spotted in their favourite Birkenstocks, making them the ugliest IT-girl shoe of the year. 

But this isn’t an argument for slouch or sloth. It’s a recalibration of fashion’s value system. Gen Z has grown up digitally exposed, visually literate, and immune to old-school glamour myths. The idea of enduring pain for beauty—blisters, posture ruin, toe-crushing heels—doesn’t appeal to them. Their aesthetic language is grounded (sometimes literally) in functionality, but never without intention.

Orthopedic, but make it cult

Take the Yeezy Foam Runner. Part exoskeleton, part slip-on—its form echoes Brutalism more than footwear. Still, resale prices remain high, buoyed by scarcity and subcultural currency. These aren’t just shoes, they’re signals. Markers of a new kind of luxury: one that is less about prettiness and more about knowingness.

Today’s style icons aren’t dressing to seduce or impress—they’re dressing to self-reference. The girl in Bostons and a Margiela vest doesn’t care if you understand. That’s the entire point.

The return of the nonchalant

The return of the ugly shoe isn’t rebellion. It’s refusal—of polish, of posturing. Kendall Jenner in socks and Adilettes. Alia Bhatt in shearling-lined Birks. There’s a certain power in appearing like you’ve put in no effort at all. The new uniform is elegantly dissonant: a tailored trouser, a Loewe tank, a pair of rubber clogs. Disjointed, but never disoriented. It’s not an aesthetic as much as it is an attitude. One that has little time for tight toes and performative dressing.

Aesthetic fatigue is real

In a post-clean-girl, post-Y2K, post-hypertrend moment, the ugly shoe feels like a necessary disruption. It’s anti-trend by nature—too practical to be romanticised, too stubborn to be reinvented each season. And in a world saturated with effort, there’s something radical about opting out of the visual race—one ugly shoe at a time.

Girls who get it…

Ultimately, the ugly shoe is a litmus test. A style Rorschach. If you see practicality, you’re missing the point. But if you see power in resisting conventional polish, if you see elegance in ease, if you find yourself eyeing a pair of mesh clogs and thinking wait, are these kind of... genius?—Congratulations.

You get it.

Lead Image: Backgrid

Also read: 10 niche and luxury homegrown brands to look out for in 2025

Also read: Dressed-up sandals to elevate even your rainy day looks