Is Skechers the Fashion World’s New Favorite Sneaker Brand?

Jennie Bell

Updated 13 September 2018 at 2:24 pm

Skechers is riding the dad shoe wave all the way to the fashion runways.

The California-based sneaker brand popped up on several catwalks during the spring ’18 New York Fashion Week shows. In particular, two versions of the Skechers D’Lites shoe were a popular footwear complement for up-and-coming ready-to-wear and swimwear collections, including Hardware LDN, Mery Playa by Sofia Resing, DFBK: Defend Brooklyn and Bonnie Bouche.

The Skechers D’Lites silhouette, first introduced in 2007, has seen a resurgence this past year, thanks to the mega-hot trend for chunky, cushioned kicks that’s been dominating the industry.

At Hardware LDN, designer Jessica Horwell highlighted the classic black-and-white Skechers D’Lites Biggest Fan style, pairing the shoe with athleisure sports bras and tracksuits done in satins and sheer materials.

DFBK also used the sneaker to complete its retro sporty vibe, which consisted of oversized sweatshirts (in keeping with the celebrity-favorite pantless trend).

Meanwhile, Angela Simmons debuted her Bonnie Bouche clothing brand at fashion week, featuring the Skechers D’Lites x One Piece collab sneakers in various colorways. Simmons is no stranger to the fashion world: As the niece of Russell Simmons, she and sister Vanessa co-founded the Pastry sneaker brand more than a decade ago.

For her latest foray, she is again tapping into the sporty aesthetic, in a casual, fun-loving manner.

Could this signal that Skechers is getting the fashion world’s seal of approval? After seeing high-street designers embrace the likes of Crocs, Ugg and Birkenstock, anything is possible at this point, particularly as labels look for new ways to surprise today’s seen-everything crowd and to create buzz among the Twitterati.

And nothing would get tongues wagging quite like a Balenciaga x Skechers Twinkle Toes sneaker.