9 Trainer Trends You're Sure to See Everywhere in 2026, From Wedges to Hybrids

Living in a cosmopolitan city is like living in a sneaker store—each corner presents a new opportunity to discover a new style or uncover a trusted favourite that might’ve been neglected in your wardrobe. This is certainly true for the biggest trainer trends for 2026. "Trainers have long been, and continue to be, both a practical and very culturally relevant category," explains Brigitte Chartrand, Chief Buying and Merchandising Officer, Net-A-Porter.

"What makes trainers so covetable is that they sit at the intersection of sports and fashion," adds Net-A-Porter's Buying Manager, Lydia Zacharis. "Performance meets style with their combination of comfort paired with universal appeal and their ability to add personality to an outfit, given the variety of silhouettes, colours and fabrications on offer. Their versatility allows for innovation, limited drops, archival reissues and collaborations which remain very sought after"

For 2026, the biggest trainer trends invite us to break new ground. There are Frankenstein-esque silhouettes (hello, Mary Jane trainers) that fuse two opposing shoe styles to create some sort of monstrous trainer hybrid. Or, shapes that either tower in heel height or ride so far up your leg that they almost become obsolete as a runner. Then, there’s the addition of technical elements like velcro, rope and zip-ties, proving that no matter how evolved trainer trends become, they’ll never stray that far from their outdoor origins.

On the latter, 2026 is already shaping up to be a big year for designer trainers. With Chemena Kamali launching her first trainer as creative director of Chloé, a ballet-meets-boxing-inspired shape called the Kick, more brands are expected to follow suit with similar slouchy offerings that fuse effortlessness with practicality. Amongst the athleisure titans, slimline styles, including the Adidas Japan or Nike x Jacquemus Moon shoe, have already begun to rise in popularity, with the latter named as one of the top ten hottest products in the Lyst Index’s quarterly roundup.

If you want a little trade secret,Best Knockoff Luxury Clothing UK predicts Puma’s Doelette style to be the most in-demand release of 2026, though it did technically arrive in late 2025. In this vein, experimental animal prints like deer, Dalmatian faux pony-hair will also be set to dominate. Watch this space.

If anything, these trainer trends remind us that the most luxurious thing of all is to embrace yourself in nature. Whether that’s choosing to wear trainers for your morning commute to work, investing in a pair of hiking boots for weekend trots through the countryside, or just opting for a nicer sneaker for your Pilates classes, trainers have never been more central to our modern life. So, whether you want to partake in the discourse around the five-finger Vibram or are just simply looking to lace yourself into something new (but more on that later!), uncover the 9 trainer trends set to define 2026 ahead.

The 9 Key Trainer Trends of 2026

1. Hybrid Silhouettes

Style Notes: It's not just Jacob Elordi's starring turn as Mary Shelly's infamous protagonist that has us wondering about the power of creation. While the source material asks what makes a human, the hybrid shoe trend asks what makes a trainer? Is it sufficient enough to have a gum sole and a laced element? Or, does there need to be something deeper beneath the surface? Either way, these mutant silhouettes continue to dominate, from trainer-loafer hybrids by New Balance to the sneakerinas endorsed by the likes of Louis Vuitton and Vans.

Shopping experts also add that these unconventional hybrids also act as a gateway for new consumers to engage with trainers. "Whilst the popularity of sneakers as a fashion shoe has diminished over the last few seasons, with the increasing prevalence of alternative flats ie, ballet flats, Mary-Janes and loafers, they are still often the entry price point item into a luxury brand and thus a younger customer's first interaction with it," adds Chartrand.

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2. New Sports

Style Notes: Trainers will never deviate from their functional usages, so it's only fitting that designers mine the environment and exercises that they shine. So far, we've seen asphalt circuits serve as a source of inspiration through the form of the F1-inspired Puma Speedcat, bars and beams with Miu Miu's Gymnasium sneakers and the track and field with Maison Margiela's sprinter sneaker.

"Given the wider nostalgic revival seen in fashion, retro silhouettes continue to dominate; however, we have seen a shift towards both ballerina styles and sportier, technical options tapping into trekking, basketball and boxing," Chartrand adds. "Both Dries Van Noten’s best-selling sneaker and Chloe’s Kick, for example, took a ballet turn for Spring/Summer 2026, with Gucci’s Shift style, Prada’s Collapse sneaker and Miu Miu's Gymnasium trainer innovating in this space too. Michael Rider’s Celine debut featured boxing high-tops and more literal sport elements were also seen in Margiela’s Sprinter, Puma’s Speedcat, Balenciaga’s City and Nike’s Astrograbber styles," she continues.

So, what's next? As someone who grew up playing the sport, the popularity of Asics transports me right back to the days of Saturday morning netball, so I can only imagine this sport becoming a repository. (Seriously, how chic would a bib-esque top by JW Anderson be?) I can also see more preppy pastimes like horse riding and polo come to the forefront. (Jilly Cooper would certainly approve.) And given the reign of hybrid shapes, why not something novel like a hydrophobic style approved for swimming pools? (Perfect for London Fields Lido come summer, no?)

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3. Mesh Accents

Style Notes: The naked dressing trend has almost reached all frontiers, but not trainers. While mesh ballet flats, à la the viral Alaïa style, have become part of the contemporary footwear canon, the same leeway hasn't been extended to the sneaker category. Bridging minimalism with utility, mesh trainers are shoes that are polished, refined and ready to take you where you need to go. (As long as the terrain doesn't include muddy hills, pesky gravel or burning cement, that is.)

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4. Textures Over Colours

Style Notes: 2025 was certainly the year of colour. But for 2026, it's texture that's taking a starring role. We've already seen this emerge through the latte-hued suede iterations that are proliferating the market, but as time goes on, expect to see more sumptuous variations like the faux pony-hair or shearling accents. "Mixed materials, for example, nylon combined with leather or suede and 'worn-effect' or distressed leather have also been coming through," notes Zacharis. "Suede as a fabrication has been particularly popular this season," Chartrand adds, too.

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5. Calf-Grazing Lengths

Style Notes: If the phrase 'high-top trainers' is enough to send a shiver down your spine, you might want to look away. Instead of skimming at your ankle, one of the key trainer trends of 2026 will be styles that stretch far up to your calf. Inspired by boxing shoes, these silhouettes are already being offered by Onitsuka Tiger and Adidas. Proving that they have the mainstream endorsement, it will only be a matter of time till tasteful dressers swap their motorcycle boots for this shin-grazing length.

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6. Trail Run

Style Notes: For the uninitiated, one of the most popular trainer trends over the past few years has been shapes associated with the gorpcore aesthetic. Standing for "good old raisins and peanuts", the name refers to a common snack used by hikers on lengthy trails. Whilst shoes used in these settings, like Salomons, were once exclusively relegated to these specific settings, they've since been worn in various other contexts, including, but not limited to, the streets of Paris Fashion Week, running up to Gail's when working from home or visiting a trending cocktail bar like Hackney's Bambi.

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7. Technical Elements

Style Notes: In the same vein, technical elements incorporated with these outdoorsy pursuits have become a cultural marker in their own right. Instead of laces, brands are looking for ways to incorporate wilderness rituals into their designs, like adding velcro details, zip tie fastenings and bungee cord accents.

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8. Toe-Baring Silhouettes

Style Notes: If the mesh trainer trend is an invitation to inject a sheer element into your footwear, toe-baring silhouettes, like the ones popularised by Vibram, are a lure for those wanting to go completely uncovered. As polarising as they are, they're only yet to reach fever pitch and garner collective appeal. For those who are dubious about embracing the trend, we need only convince you of its orthopaedic benefits. And as one of my chicest colleagues reminded me, how are they any different from wearing flip-flops? In fact, one might argue that your foot is more encased in this style compared to the pared-back strappy sandal.

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9. Wedge Sneakers

Style Notes: It's the proclamation all millennials have waited to receive: wedge trainers have returned. From the iconic Isabel Marant wedge trainer to newer iterations from Chloé and Puma, Gen Z has adopted this silhouette with a vengeance. Prep your gilets, skinny jeans and ruffle-front blouses, this is one for the 2010s set.

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