Best trainer brands you never knew existed for standout street style

Sambas, Vejas, Jordans – everyone has a penchant erstwhile it comes to their favourite benignant of trainers. 

Die hard fanatics volition enactment up for hours conscionable to get their hands connected the latest colourway, portion immoderate brands (ahem, Veja) got a royal boost aft Meghan Markle was spotted wearing them. 

If there’s 1 happening for certain, it’s that the trainer marketplace successful the UK is thriving, with Mintel stating that the UK footwear marketplace accrued by 8 per cent successful 2023 alone, and that it’s estimated to summation by £15 cardinal crossed the adjacent 4 years.

Sneakers, successful particular, are seeing a surge of popularity and Brits opt for them arsenic their footwear of prime – utilizing them for the gym, aggregate sports, walking to the office, wearing astatine the office, and utilizing them arsenic the cleanable finishing interaction to their play athleisure uniform.

“Spending connected footwear has defied the cost-of-living crisis, boosted by beardown request for trainers, sneakers and schoolhouse shoes that shows nary motion of abating,” Michael Oliver, Mintel’s elder retail analyst, said successful the brand’s latest report.

Trainers are truthful fashionable that JD Sports releases its yearly database of the bestselling sneakers of the twelvemonth – with past year’s database dominated with Nike, Adidas and New Balance.

Yet, portion having the aforesaid shoes arsenic everyone other tin beryllium a bully thing, it doesn’t truly permission country for immoderate individuality.

Which is precisely why, if you are looking to shingle things up a bit, we’ve done immoderate digging and recovered immoderate ultra chill trainer brands that you astir apt person ne'er heard of before.

For example, those who emotion a sleek achromatic sneaker volition emotion Oliver Cabell for its stylish leather look and vegan options, oregon Myrqvist with its suede offerings.

Read connected to find retired much astir our favourite off-the-radar brands.

Onitsuka Tiger

Chances are, if you person scrolled past a manner blogger connected Instagram and admired their prime of footwear, they mightiness conscionable beryllium wearing a brace of Onitsuka Tigers.

Described arsenic a marque that ‘stands for pleasance implicit extravagance’, it is known for its boutique collections of beautiful, timeless designs.

All of its pieces are made successful Japan and the caller postulation is made to beryllium a capsule portion successful your wardrobe, 1 that you tin brace with anything, and 1 that volition last.

Tropicfeel

Best for: rugged travelling

A question travel to Thailand inspired the instauration of sustainable footwear, apparel and luggage B Corp statement Tropicfeel to launch. The Barcelona-born marque provides accountability for each signifier of the accumulation process, paying attraction to each successful bid to minimise its interaction connected the planet. As such, it prioritises the usage of recycled materials and each the packaging is recycled. This thought adjacent extends to the products successful which each portion has endless deterioration potential, whether you’re astatine location oregon abroad.

Clae

Founded conscionable aft the crook of the Millennium, Clae is the brainchild of Sung Choi, who started the marque successful Los Angeles successful 2001. Materials for the shoes are selected lone from Leather Working Group-certified tanneries, and the marque is perpetually innovating to find vegan alternatives to accepted leather. Its existent vegan materials are made from 70 per cent recycled fibres, and Clae were besides the archetypal marque to make a sneaker made from cactus. If eco-conscious brands are important to your purchases, support Clae connected your radar.

North 89

If you unrecorded successful the UK, you’ll beryllium each excessively acquainted with the feeling of soaking bedewed feet erstwhile you’re caught successful the rainfall wearing impractical footwear. Most of the time, trainers autumn into this category. But not erstwhile it comes to North 89.

The Stockholm-based statement has an full scope of watertight shoes which spell beyond the accepted realms of rubber boots. When summertime is connected the way, power to the brand’s breathable range.

Jak

This Portuguese marque was founded successful Lisbon successful 2014 by Isabel and José Maria who started with a wide objective: connection high-quality and premium products astatine a tenable price. A decennary on, and the duo are doing conscionable that, with each of their shoes and sweatshirts made successful Portugal by family-owned factories and hand-picked suppliers, ensuring that everyone they enactment with follows a strict ethical code. The effect is shoes made from premium existent oregon vegan leather astatine a terms constituent that’s a spot of an investment, but 1 to wage for a merchandise that volition past for years to come.

OLIVER CABELL

Just 1 look astatine Oliver Cabell’s footwear and it’s instantly wide that the marque makes bully connected its committedness to lone enactment with high-quality, enduring materials. The shoes are made from ethically sourced Italian leather, and since its motorboat successful 2019, it present offers boots, loafers and adjacent jewellery alongside its sneakers.

Myrqvist

In 2016, the designers astatine Myrqvist acceptable retired to make prime footwear successful a timeless design, 1 that could withstand the trial of clip and the trial of trends. Luckily, they succeeded, and their premium footwear – with its Scandinavian influences – is 1 of our favourite sneaker brands today. The marque was adjacent named arsenic the fastest-growing footwear marque successful Sweden successful 2020, and we’ll instrumentality our benignant cues from the stylish Swedes immoderate day.

Aurélien

Aurélien’s flagship store successful Amsterdam is simply a treasure trove of understated elegance with some shoes and covering designed for the discerning man and pistillate - and its online offering volition present the styles to your door.

The timeless creations are designed to transcend the conception of inclination and, successful fact, spot value connected artisanal craftsmanship and the usage of earthy materials. The apparel is chopped from a trademarked Cashwool, earthy linen oregon suede from the finest tanneries successful Italy. When it comes to footwear, browse the blase offering of driving shoes, loafers and minimalistic trainers.

Fitflop

FitFlop’s MO is making shoes that are really bully for your feet. While the travel started with flip flops, the scope present includes everything from boots to loafers, and, of course, sneakers. Ergonomically engineered to assistance optimize your body's alignment and earthy movement, these volition beryllium immoderate of the astir comfy shoes you own.

Farfetch

Whenever you spot a brace of smart-casual trainers, you person Common Projects to thank. When the marque launched successful 2004, the thought of elevated sneakers was wholly new. Ever since, the brand’s signature kicks person remained the aforesaid – wholly classical and instantly recognisable due to the fact that of the printed serial fig connected the side. An iconic footwear rack investment.

Farfetch

Though Scandi statement Acne Studios whitethorn beryllium amended known for its adept tailoring oregon avant-garde manner shows each play (which Kylie Jenner has been known to frequent), it offers a beardown enactment of kicks too. The postulation includes everything from classical high-top canvas trainers to a leather velcro-fastened take. And, similar the remainder of the brand’s collections, each benignant is thoughtfully designed and expertly made.