sock sneakers became BIG in 2017

swedish label acne studios has joined the world of sock sneakers, causing designboom to reflect on what has probably been the most popular shoe in 2017. thanks to influx of brands creating stylish designs out of stretchy and durable knits, the sock and sneaker have combined to become one hybrid kick that has captured the soles of many a foot.

the shoe has a stretchy knit rooted in a rubber sole
image courtesy of acne studios

from the adidas ultra boost, to steph curry’s similarly sock-styled under armour curry 4s, the list goes on and on with names like NIKE and kanye west building boots that may have an athletic style but are not built for running. in favor of breathable and movable comfort, these shoes ditch the rigid boot-like designs once dominating the sneaker industry.

the under armour curry 4
image courtesy of steph curry

named the ‘tristan’, acne‘s sneaker comes in a high top and low top model, featuring a sock-like form rooted into a rubber sole. the new edition is available in two different colorways: either navy/white or all-black, available now from the studio’s web store and ranging from €410 for the lowtops and €450 for the hightops.

acne’s tristan is the latest in a long line of sock sneakers
image courtesy of acne studios

of course a second should be spared for our other attention grabbing, fashion design phenomenons including the balenciaga croc – a close second when it comes to capturing the popular zeitgeist. but sock sneakers too have infiltrated the world of large fashion houses with balenicaga’s own sock-styled ‘speed trainers’ impossible to find in stock anywhere — here’s hopes for 2018…

the balenciaga speed trainers
image courtesy of balenciaga