Fashion is cyclic. One day, people are starving themselves to fit into skinny jeans; the next, they're the butt of a non-existent joke. One day sneakers are chunky, clunky, and dad-coded. The next, they’re trimmed down to fit under a pair of tailored trousers. Culture demands counterculture. And right now, that counterculture is slim. 

Sneakers, for the first time in a long time, are shrinking, also in sales, but not in cultural cachet—just in silhouette. The puffed-up, orthopaedic-era monstrosities that walked so influencers could stomp? They’ve overstayed their welcome. Now, it’s all about restraint. Clean lines. Narrow shapes. And just the right amount of nostalgia. 

Fronting this shift are sneakers like the Puma Palermo, the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66, and ballerina-inspired drops from Louis Vuitton and Adidas. Yes, ballerina sneakers. Fashion’s having its minimalism moment again, and it’s going straight to your feet. 

The Puma Palermo is the guy who shows up to the party in vintage cologne and a perfectly worn suede jacket—not loud, just quietly iconic. Originally a terrace classic, it’s back in the rotation thanks to its slim profile, gum sole, and understated colourways. It doesn’t need your attention. It assumes it. The Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66, meanwhile, is the kind of sneaker that fashion people like to pretend they “just threw on.” A cult favourite from the ‘60s, its moment has returned—not because it ever really left, but because the world finally caught up. It’s slim, unfussy, and has that air of “if you know, you know.” 
 

And then there’s the ballerina sneaker renaissance, which sounds like a sentence from an AI fever dream but is, in fact, very real. Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton ballerinas are luxe, pointed, and more dancefloor than dojo. Adidas has its own take, pairing ballet-like builds with archive design cues. These aren’t shoes for running. They’re for arriving.  

So why is this happening now? Look at men’s fashion more broadly. At this year’s Paris Fashion Week, we saw a noticeable shift away from oversized chaos and towards precision. Designers like Saint Laurent, Loewe, and Ami sent out collections rooted in tailoring, clean draping, and a certain grown-man poise. When trousers get slimmer, shoes have to follow. 
 

The chunky sneaker, for all its charm, doesn’t play well with this new silhouette. You can’t pair a 2kg shoe with a silk suit unless you’re actively trying to look like an Instagram meme. Which, to be fair, some are. But for the rest of us? We want proportion. Elegance. Shoes that don’t fight your outfit. 

This isn’t the first slim sneaker wave. The Stan Smith era had its chokehold. But this time it’s different. The motivation isn’t normcore or anti-fashion irony. It’s about refinement. Control. The kind of style that doesn’t scream at you from across the room, but still gets the corner booth. 

What’s also refreshing is the lack of hype. Slimmer sneakers aren’t chasing resale value. They aren’t triple-collabs built for flex posts. They’re just... well-designed. Thoughtful. Intentional. And in a market that often confuses louder with better, that feels like a statement. 

This shift also mirrors a broader recalibration in the way people dress. We’re coming off a maximalist high. The era of logos so large they could double as flags. Of clashing prints, mega soles, neon puffers. A slimmer sneaker feels like a return to sanity. It's the sartorial equivalent of a palate cleanser.

And then there's the fatigue. The fatigue of dressing like an algorithm. Of buying into drops that feel more like deadlines. A slimmer silhouette, with its minimal branding and anti-shouty aesthetic, is quietly radical. It says, "I picked this, not an Instagram trend." In an era of fashion fatigue, that’s powerful. 

This isn’t just a sneaker story—it’s also about identity. Dressing in 2025 is no longer just about standing out. It’s about editing. About choosing what not to wear. And that mindset reflects in slimmer shoes: they’re less of a statement, more of a point of view. 

There’s also an elegance to this form that aligns with how men—especially younger men—are redefining their wardrobes. Fewer ironic fits. More intention. Fewer looks built for social media. More outfits built to last. Think of the slimmer sneaker as part of that shift—reliable, adaptable, and, crucially, human-sized.   

Even big brands are listening. Nike’s low-profile Killshot 2 is seeing a resurgence. New Balance, once known for the thick-soled dad aesthetic, is quietly pushing cleaner alternatives. Loewe’s Ballet Runners are another example of high-fashion slimming down the sole. 

Where does this go next? Expect more hybrids. More ballerina-meets-runner. More archival reissues with modern tailoring in mind. Maybe even a return to old-school skate shoes—but cut leaner, with less puff and more poise. As brands try to win over consumers worn out by endless drops and fads, we’ll see more shoes that work with your wardrobe instead of screaming over it. 

We’re in an era where a shoe can make you feel both nostalgic and entirely new. The slimmer sneaker does exactly that. It’s not screaming for attention. It doesn’t need a two-hour unboxing. It just works—with your trousers, with your mood, with where fashion is right now.