The trainer reigns supreme, but it may have reached the upper limit of popularity. The debate is eternal, and is renewed from season to season. Today, the trainer is as indispensable to everyone as a pair of jeans, it peaked in sales during the pandemic and now, according to many insiders, it has people “got a bit bored”. But will this really be the case? The doubt, given the trend of the last (many) seasons, is more than justified.
Has the trainer “got a bit bored”?
Moccasins, slip-ons, pumps and other less casual (and more elegant) models are experiencing a revival, thanks (also) to the return to the office, to ceremonies, to parties. But despite this, the trainer market, says Euromonitor, will grow until 2027 at an average annual rate of 3.6%. Raf Simons, however, had sent out a message before closing his brand (November 2022). Despite often showing himself in trainers, the current co-creative director of Prada had staged a sneakerless fashion show in Paris for the 2022 summer season. No models wore trainers. A clear signal, suggesting tiredness and slowdown for the trainer market.
Supply problems
But the alleged trainer problems are not only related to consumer psychology. Apart from the cyclical nature of fashion trends, the causes of the cooling down can be found in the sourcing difficulties faced by brands during the pandemic. But, also, in the Beijing market that is favouring brands made in China. Among other things, the resale of trainers is also reportedly experiencing difficult times. To confirm this, see the performance of StockX. Finally, problems have also emerged in collaborations: see the stresses related to Kanye West and Kyrie Irving.
However, solid
Be that as it may, the trainer kingdom remains solid. In other words: it is the footwear category that best withstands recessions. Why? Simple: it is part of everyday life for billions of people around the world. Only now the time may be over when it was enough to launch a collaboration to sell and cash in. According to NSS Magazine, in fact, we are heading towards “a gradual decline in collaborations”. And, in parallel, towards “a simplification of offers and greater investment in classic models that guarantee a certain number of sales”.
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