Wondering why bulky shoes keep showing up on your feed? The chunky sneaker trend stuck because it grew out of skate and dad-shoe culture, then luxury runways made it fashionable. It is now adapting rather than dying.
This guide is part of our wider look at footwear trends.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Etnies Natas 1, called the OG chunky skate shoe | 1987 |
| Nike Air Monarch, an early dad shoe | 2003 |
| adidas x Raf Simons Ozweego 1 | 2013 |
| Balenciaga Triple S runway moment | 2017 |
| Balenciaga Triple S price, as described by Highsnobiety | $1,000 |
| Adidas Samba peak saturation | Middle of 2023 |
These figures come from Highsnobiety’s chunky sneaker timeline and its piece on flat sneakers. Dates and prices can change or be reported differently elsewhere, so check the source before you rely on them.
Where did the chunky sneaker trend start?
Long before it reached Parisian runways, the oversized shoe lived in skate culture. In Highsnobiety’s history of the style, the Etnies Natas 1 from 1987 is recognized as the OG chunky skate shoe, taking direct inspiration from Ellesse’s basketball sneaker, the Assist.
The same timeline supplies the dates below and shows how the look spread from one scene to the next:
- Airwalk Prototype (1988): a repurposed take on the Air Jordan and Nike Dunk silhouettes of the time, with elongated sidewalls and plenty of plastic and rubber adornments.
- Northwave Espresso (1991): a cult sneaker from a Japanese label, inspired by snowboard boots and a favorite on the streets of Harajuku.
- Buffalo London (1995): comically chunky platforms that took their cues from club kid uniforms.
- éS Scheme (1999): described as the blueprint for skate shoes worn on and off the board.
- Osiris D3 (2001): Highsnobiety says the brand did not invent the ugly skate shoe, but perfected it.
Highsnobiety also notes that the United States was arguably the birthplace of the chunky sneaker phenomenon, but other regions were quick to adopt their own interpretations. That mix of skate, snowboard and club influences is why the look never had a single origin.
How dad shoes took chunky into the mainstream
Beyond skateboarding, the chunky shoe entered the mainstream through dad shoes: upsized training sneakers aimed at the no-frills older consumer. Highsnobiety points to the Nike Air Monarch of 2003 as a key example.
According to legend, Nike researched the Monarch at theme parks, where it asked American males which comfort features they wanted. That comfort-first thinking is why the category is still called dad shoes.
A French retailer’s blog adds that New Balance sold orthopedic insoles in its early days, and that the NB 624 found its audience of dads as expected. The same blog says the ugly shoe went out of fashion over time and resurfaced in 2015, so start dates for the revival vary by source.
The look returned in force later in the decade. According to Highsnobiety, the adidas Yeezy Boost 700 from 2017 was largely responsible for bringing the dad shoe trend mainstream, and it spawned the return of the Nike Air Monarch, the Fila Disruptor and the Gucci Apollo.
How luxury runways revived the silhouette
Fashion houses pushed the shape from the sidewalk to the catwalk. Highsnobiety calls the Rick Owens Dunk the forefather of the ugly fashion sneaker and says it debuted at Owens’s runway show in 2006.
Then the look went quiet. The timeline says the chunky shoe lay dormant in the more minimal era of the late 2000s and early 2010s, until Raf Simons’s re-imagination of adidas’ Ozweego brought it back with a vengeance. The adidas x Raf Simons Ozweego 1 of 2013 is regarded as one of the most influential sneakers of its era, per the same history.
The biggest moment was the Balenciaga Triple S in 2017. Demna Gvasalia sent Parisian fathers and kids down the menswear runway in his clunky turbo trainers, and Highsnobiety says the shoe’s success led to rip-offs from just about every other prominent fashion house and mass market retailers. A French retailer’s blog lists the pair at 850 €, while Highsnobiety’s flat-sneaker piece calls it a $1,000 shoe, so prices depend on the source and the currency.
The look also got stranger. Maison Margiela’s 2018 Fusion, priced at $1,655, featured a chipped and scuffed outsole, large smears of glue on the midsole and upper, and a duct-tape detail.
The same year, A$AP Rocky and Under Armour released the SRLo, which Highsnobiety says was inspired by skate and rave culture. It resurrected the Osiris D3 and became a shoe coveted by celebrities and teenagers alike, which closes the loop back to the skate parks where the trend began.
Why the chunky look stuck
Several forces explain why this is more than a passing sneaker fad:
- It became normal. Highsnobiety writes that dad shoes have cast a long, chunky shadow across sneakerdom for the better part of a decade. It adds that archetypal dad shoes like New Balance’s 550 and ASICS’ silver runners now epitomize a near-universal agreeable sneaker style.
- It sells. Highsnobiety describes sneaker maximalism moving from a wonderfully weird emerging trend to a powerful luxury sales driver.
- It is easy to renew. The French retailer’s blog says chunky pairs let the sneaker giants renew their silhouettes, pointing to Converse’s thick-soled All-Star and Jordan Brand’s Air Jordan 1 Low.
The same blog says brands keep testing colors, materials and futuristic-looking models on the shape. If that interests you, our guide to sustainable footwear materials is a good next read. For more experimental construction, see our explainer on 3d printed shoes.
Will flat sneakers end the chunky sneaker trend?
Highsnobiety’s flat-shoe analysis argues the next shift is toward low profiles. It traces the start to Wales Bonner’s adidas Samba collaborations, which debuted in 2020 and were an all-out hit by 2022, and says the Samba hit peak saturation by the middle of 2023.
Runways pointed the same way. The piece says Spring/Summer 2024 shows spotlighted flip-flops, Mary Janes and ballet flats, and that squashed sneakers like Miu Miu’s compressed New Balance 530 and PUMA’s refreshed Speedcat line dominated early 2024.
It also lists classic low-profile styles on the rise:
- The New Balance 475 and 574, which the piece says are on the rise.
- ASICS reviving its throwback GEL-Lyte III ahead of more function-driven models.
- adidas retooling the Stan Smith, the ballerina-like Taekwondo and the sleek SL72 runner.
Even so, the piece stops short of calling time on chunky. It says flat shoes aren’t going to immediately usurp dad shoes as the top dog, and that dad shoes will adapt by becoming a little less prevalent and a little less chunky. It also says HOKA won’t suddenly toss out its signature ultra-cushioned soles.
Frequently asked questions
What is a dad shoe?
Show answer
Per Highsnobiety’s timeline, dad shoes are upsized training sneakers aimed at the no-frills older consumer. The Nike Air Monarch of 2003 is one of its early examples.
What was the first chunky skate shoe?
Show answer
The same timeline recognizes the Etnies Natas 1 from 1987 as the OG chunky skate shoe. It took direct inspiration from Ellesse’s basketball sneaker, the Assist.
Did the Balenciaga Triple S start the trend?
Show answer
Not on its own. In an August 2017 interview with Highsnobiety, a stylist cited the adidas by Raf Simons Ozweego 1 from 2013 as the start of the revival, and the Triple S of 2017 then inspired copies across fashion.
Is the chunky sneaker trend over?
Show answer
Not according to Highsnobiety’s flat-sneaker piece. At the time it was written, flat shoes were rising but were not expected to immediately replace dad shoes, which it expected to become a little less chunky.
