Menswear is big on slimmed-down trainers for 2025. Much of the hype has stemmed from slipper-like sneakers from Puma, Prada, Jacquemus and Maison Margiela. But after with a couple years on ice, Vans is back in the game.

Cast your mind back to the 2010s. Jeans were slimmer, logomania and drop culture reigned supreme, and Vans sneakers were everywhere. Then, just when things reached a fever pitch, the trend cycle shifted. Suddenly menswearheads were silly for athletic runners from Nike, On, and Hoka. Even the heritage guys got their fix from adidas Sambas, Gazelles, and Japans, and Vans’ hot streak was over. 

But Vans didn’t get any less cool. The brand was founded in 1966, and made deck shoes which caught on with skateboarders thanks to their flat grippy soles. It’s the shoe Steve Cabillero wore to invent the Caballerial. And street skaters like Mike Carroll, Anthony Van Englen, and Geoff Rowley were sticking VHS tape bangers in Vans. So despite a dip in mainstream popularity, they’ve always had a strong countercultural connection to help prevent extinction. 

But everything moves in cycles. And in 2025, the stage could not be more set for a bigger Vans comeback. 

Slim-soled trainers are everywhere. Prada’s flimsy Collapse sneakers are catnip for fashion boys like Haris Dickinson. Maison Margiela’s streamlined Sprinters nabbed a Jacob Elordi seal of approval, and Puma’s streamlined Speedcats have been stomping through pub beer gardens all summer. Basically, menswear is big on slim, flat shoes. And Vans’ OG styles like the Authentic and Era scratch that skinny shoe itch nicely.

This year’s low-profile sneaker obsession laid the foundations for the return and the Spring/Summer 2026 menswear shows built on them. At Jonathan Anderson’s hotly anticipated Dior debut, we got Vans-like slip-ons and lace-ups referencing two of the brand’s most popular styles. At Prada, there were stripped-back, stretched-out pumps – designed for the decks of superyachts, but with a skaterboy spirit. 

So why are high-end labels referencing the humble sub-£100 skate shoe? It comes down to a few things. There’s the winning high-low pairing. Because there’s something innately sick about wearing immaculately draped, pleated trousers and smart cashmere knits with skater boy slip-ons. There’s also fashion’s obsession with skateboarding – brands from across the spectrum, including JW Anderson, Louis Vuitton, and Dior continue to reference skateboarding, stemming from the street skating boom in the 1990s. Why? Because the coolest thing you can do in menswear is look like you don’t care, even if you really do. And Vans – the shoes skaters have thrashed for decades – are some of the best sneakers to do that. 

But it was Valentino Creative Director Alessandro Michele who recharged Vans’ high fashion status with an official collaboration teased in the Italian label’s Autumn/Winter 2025 runway show. There were slip-ons and lace-up Era styles revamped with pink and black checks, florals, and a rather adorable “I ❤️ my Vans” graphic for the perfect mix of relaxed and formal menswear. In his previous role as Gucci’s creative director, Michele dabbled in high-end Vans sneakers with a limited-edition collaboration, so he knows what he’s doing when it comes to haute skate sneakers. It also helps that he’s a close pal and collaborator of Harry Styles, who has a particular soft spot for the Vans Era to stoke up the hype (who will no doubt be one of the first guys to rock the Valentino Vans in the wild). 

Trends come and go. And whether it’s a runway revival, high-fashion takes or just the trend cycle doing its thing, there’s definitely a surging interest in Vans. Could we be on the cusp of a 2010s-style comeback? It’s certainly shaping up that way.