Call it a comeback: Dad shoes are cool again

By USA today

When it comes to fashion, dads are finally having their day. 

From Instagram to the runway, celebrities and designers are embracing the "ugliness" of oversize sneakers that many have referred to as "dad shoes." 

Dad shoes got their name thanks to their retro appearance, most of which look like they've come straight out of your father's '80s wardrobe: Think nondescript white shoes, paired with tube socks and Lee jeans. Many feature thick soles and an overall chunky look, which screams comfort over chic.

"Dad Sneakers" Are In Stock.

Google Trends shows peak searches for "dad sneakers" and "dad shoes" in the summer months of 2018. Retail analytics company Edited reports a 627 percent increase in the number of dad sneakers in stock online in the last three months compared with a year ago.

"Just within this year, chunky sneakers have seen a 238 percent uptick in stock in the last three months compared to three months prior to that," said Katie Smith. She studies retail store trends for Edited.

Pinterest has also seen increased interest, with searches for "dad sneakers" up 730 percent from January to date.

Adidas And Nike Are Bringing Bulky Back.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly who started the dad-shoe trend. Still, Jane Buckingham, founder and CEO of trend forecasting company Trendera, says brands like Nike and Adidas started going "chunkier" about a year ago.

Last August, the Adidas Yeezy Wave Runner 700 was released, which offered a much chunkier, "dad" look than sleeker shoes, like the Nike VaporMax, that were popular at the time. At the same time, Nike was bringing its own bulky shoes to the party. They celebrated the 35th anniversary of the classic 1982 Air Force 1 shoe through collaborations with rapper Travis Scott and Virgil Abloh, artistic director of luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton. The thick-soled Nike Mars Yard sneaker, a collaboration with artist Tom Sachs, also became more available that year.

Buckingham says these moves influenced designer labels such as Balenciaga to make high-end versions.

According to Smith, "dad shoes" are selling especially well in this luxury market. Balenciaga's Triple S Trainers ($895) are the best-selling brand across 122 brands that sell the style.

Celebrities and fashion influencers are also fans of bulky buys from Gucci. The fashion brand sells a logo-sided white leather Rhyton sneaker that runs over $800, and Louis Vuitton offers the bulky Archlight sneaker that runs over $1,000.

Fashion In The Me Too Movement.

Buckingham says the trend is a resurgence of "retro" fashion as well as a reaction to femininity in fashion.

"Here we have this huge Me Too, 'go women' thing happening at the same time as a huge romanticism and femininity in fashion," she explains. "Mixing these frilly dresses with chunky, even 'ugly' sneakers, sort of says, 'Don't assume I am weak and all girly.'

He says millennials in particular — young adults born in the '80s and early '90s — are all about duality and "showing multiple sides of themselves."

Unlike other recent shoe trends, like the celebrity-loved see-through shoes, dad shoes also have a wider appeal. Both men and women are wearing them.

Rockers And Street Style Icons Wear Them.

So which young stars are rocking the trend? Jaden Smith wore a pair of Louis Vuitton's Archlight sneakers to the famed Met Gala event in May.

Chance the Rapper performs in various brands while Kanye and his family, including wife Kim Kardashian West, rep his own Yeezy label.

Street style icons Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid and Hailey Baldwin have also been seen rocking the look.

The look spans age groups. Some famous dads are wearing them too, including Thom Yorke of Radiohead.

He sported a pair of all-white '80s-inspired Reebok sneakers, completing the dad look with rolled jeans and tube socks in what seemed to be a joke.

Moms like fashion designer Stella McCartney and singer Celine Dion have also sported the look.

Not "For Everybody's Taste".

The style has gone beyond celebrities as well. A quick search for #dadshoes on Instagram yields more than 30,000 results, most of which come from non-celebrities.

Dad shoes are part of the larger trend of '80s and '90s fashion statements that are getting another moment, including fanny packs, hair scrunchies and bike shorts.

It doesn't look like the trend is going away anytime soon.

Adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted told CNBC earlier this month that millennials continue to drive throwback sneaker sales. The company reported better-than-anticipated earnings in its second quarter of the year.

"The newest trend you are seeing in the high street is the mock-ups or the new models from what we had in the '90s, so the big clunky shoes are now coming in," he said. "Which aren't for everybody's taste, but that's the new taste."