5 HUGE TRAINER TRENDS FOR 2018

Morgan Weekes: ‘Sustainability has been a hot topic in the industry for a while, but I feel this is the year we’ll begin to see less leather and an increase in eco materials. With more of us caring about the story behind our products, and a rapid increase in veganism and animal care, leather is destined to become a truly premium material within a decade. You can see it happening already – Nike are on it with Flyleather (a material that creates a carbon footprint 80% smaller than traditional leather) and of course the huge Parley movement from adidas, which aims to reduce plastics polluting our oceans.’

Kish Kash: ‘The trend that’ll keep on going. Yep, there have been some shockers, but the likes of the Yeezy Wave Runner should be enough for blockier silhouettes to become even more commonplace.’

Ugly Mely: ‘Absolutely agree. I’m sure this’ll be a trend for many years. Everyone likes a pair of comfy shoes to chill in! And adidas really know what’s up with this one – after the Wave Runner, they’re dropping the YUNG1, one of the chunkiest, and most anticipated, shoes of the year.’

KK: ‘Last year adidas debuted their innovative 3D-printed midsole – a technological advancement that they’ve used in their new Futurecraft 4D trainers. This is such a monumental leap for footwear design and manufacturing, and a definite game-changer – it’s on a level with when Nike first put air into a pair of shoes. Imagine one day being able to print our own shoes and designs, to our personal specifications and requirements? It really feels like an actual possibility!’

Rob Stewart: ‘It’s not only adidas that are doing it, but New Balance too. Both have been teasing us with limited releases… until now. This is definitely the year 3D-printed releases make it to the mass market. We’ll all be printing our own shoes at home soon – watch this space!’

MW: ‘It’s an excellent time to be a footwear fan or collector – trainers that were released in the late 90s have matured enough to deserve a retro, and we’re starting to see colours and shoes that haven’t been on the shelves for two decades. It’s my favourite era for footwear design, and I’m eager to see the likes of the Gundam 98 make a return.’

UM: ‘I’m really excited by this one. We had some absolutely incredible colourways in the 90s, and Jordan Brand, Nike, and adidas have so many that they could pull out of their archives. Of them all, though, I really, really hope Nike get to work on the return of their super colourful Baltoro colourway soon.’

KK: ‘It’s fair to say that, for a couple of years, Nike has been pushed into second place by adidas. But they’ll be back in the spotlight and dominating headlines once again in 2018. Not only will the Vapormax continue to gain momentum, but they’ve got a lot of significant anniversaries to celebrate, such as the Air Max 98, the Air Max Plus and the Nike Air Jordan III, which could herald the return of these models into the mainstream instead of just on the feet of sneakerheads.’