Sneakers have lengthy outgrown their gym-only status. Identical with their “man-only” status. At present, they’re as integral to ladies’s avenue type because the bag you’re carrying or the coat you’re sporting. Sneakers can elevate a glance, sign private type, and provide help to transfer via the world with objective. (Sure, even type icons must run errands.) What was purely efficiency gear is now front-row worthy, and more and more, it’s ladies who’re shaping what’s cool, what sells, and what will get collected.
Whereas SELF has lined the “exercise” of all of it for years—all the time telling you our ideas on the perfect new drops, all-time greats, and pairs that look so good we’re truly excited to go for a jog—we all know you’re sporting sneakers off the mat too. So are we: to the workplace, on our travels, and even out to dinner.
That’s why we’re introducing a brand new class in our annual Sneaker Awards. Meet the Editor’s Picks. Right here, we’re spotlighting the sneakers which are driving tradition, defining aesthetic shifts, creating communities, and popping up in all places from runways to sidewalks—proper now.
See the perfect exercise sneakers of the yr right here, and browse our joint report on the state of ladies’s sneaker tradition with StockX right here.
The 2025 SELF Sneaker Awards: Editor’s Picks
Adidas Taekwondo
Editor’s Decide
Adidas Taekwondo
First got here the Stan Smiths (2016). Then got here the Sambas (2023), after which the Gazelles (2023-2024). Now it’s 2025, and we’re head over heels for Adidas’s Taekwondo. After a fickle few years for the model, you can name it a comeback, due to a concentrate on Adidas’s retro sneakers, most just lately headlined by the Taekwondo. Initially produced within the ’80s and introduced again within the early 2000s, the fitted slip-on is beloved by celebs like Jennifer Lawrence and avenue type stars alike.
Asics Gel-Enterprise 6 Defend
Editor’s Decide
Asics Gel-Enterprise 6 Defend
“Watch your again, Salomon,” says SELF senior commerce author Sara Coughlin. “This iteration of the Gel-Enterprise is dramatically extra trendy and streetwear-informed than earlier variations I’ve seen on-line.” Asics hits the gorpcore mark right here—the shoe appears modern, with a very waterproof sole—talking to the more and more blurred strains between out of doors tech and on a regular basis put on.
Reebok Traditional AZ
Editor’s Decide
Reebok Traditional AZ
“The quantity of compliments I get on these sneakers is unreal,” Paige Levinson, SELF’s particular tasks coordinator, says. Levinson wears them on a regular basis—they’ve withstood 25,000-step-count days—and so they additionally caught the attention of SELF editor in chief Jessica Merciless, who snagged a pair proper off of our photoshoot set. Erica Sloan, SELF’s senior well being author, nods to the shoe’s suede detailing and textured outsole as her favourite design parts. Our govt editor, Jennifer Fields, got here into the workplace with a pink pair final week. Clearly, the Reebok AZs are highly regarded round right here.
Asics Gel-Quantum Kinetic
Editor’s Decide
Asics Gel-Quantum Kinetic
An excellent pair of Asics is the of completion to any Princess Diana out-and-about/supermodel off-duty look. These, with their unusual-looking gel cushioning element, deliver further visible curiosity to a glance that might in any other case turn out to be drained. (We’re happy to report they’re snug too.)
New Stability 1906L Loafers
Editor’s Decide
New Stability 1906L Loafers
If there was one excellent theme out there over the past yr, it’s the reexamination of what a sneaker actually is. Just like the ballerina sneaker, the sneaker idler—particularly, this one from New Stability—despatched out shockwaves when it launched late final summer time. (Now, after all, it’s almost not possible to get your arms on.) On the very least, it demonstrates the sneaker as one thing that may be worn each on the road and to the workplace. On the most, it encourages us to surprise how else sneakers, mockingly or anachronistically, can subvert expectations.
Autry Windspin
Editor’s Decide
Autry Windspin
The Windspin is a 2025 launch for Autry, although its retro track-star look hearkens again to an earlier time. Gentle, broken-in suede on the surface and a leather-based and cotton-terry lining inside make these as snug and easy because the basic Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66. And when you actually can’t go flawed with any of the It model’s sneakers, these really feel barely extra beneath the radar, and we love them for that.
Camper Peu Path
Editor’s Decide
Camper Peu Path
An enormous takeaway from the yr in sneakers to date? Ballet, ballet, ballet. Bunhead type has lengthy influenced vogue at massive (scoop again bodysuits, flats, “coquette core,” we may go on), however essentially the most pleasantly stunning interpretation is the slipper-sneaker hybrid. Camper’s Peu Path is versatile and utilitarian, versatile (pair it with a costume, or pair it with poplin pants and a tee), and almost octogenarian. And we imply that as a praise.
Puma Speedcat OG
Editor’s Decide
Puma Speedcat OG
The Speedcat originated greater than 20 years in the past as a fireproof shoe for Components 1 racers. These roots make its return to vogue right now really feel all of the extra apropos. You’ll be able to put on them day to nighttime, and so they add a playful dose of perspective and nostalgia to any look. “I would like each single colour they arrive in,” Gunderman says.
Converse Chuck 70
Editor’s Decide
Converse Chuck 70
Few sneakers deemed “classics” will truly maintain up over time, outlasting no matter traits cycle via the zeitgeist. Converse, and the model’s Chuck 70s particularly, are one of many few that truly deserve this title. Unisex and laid again, beloved by the likes of Alexa Chung, Serena Williams, and Dakota Johnson, the canvas high-top has actual endurance. Attain again into the depths of your closet: We anticipate you’ll solely see extra of them over the following yr.
Gola Classics Stadium ’86
Editor’s Decide
Gola Classics Stadium ’86
We’ve seen Gola, the 100-plus-year-old British sporting model—significantly the brightly coloured, Samba-esque Elan trainers—creeping up from coast to coast. However what comes subsequent? We predict the Stadium ’86. It’s a extra forward-thinking type: Metallic colorways really feel like a pure step after the rise of daring primaries, and it faucets into sports activities tradition with the fold-over soccer-shoe tongue.
Hoka Bondi 9
Editor’s Decide
Hoka Bondi 9
Hoka—as soon as favored primarily by orthopedists—began gaining traction amongst millennials when Out of doors Voices spotlighted the model in its advertising campaigns. The 2 later collaborated on a 2018 assortment, kicking off a partnership that lasted for a number of years. Whereas Out of doors Voices has confronted its share of ups and downs lately (and is, maybe, on the verge of a serious comeback), Hoka has remained a standout all of the whereas—for strolling, working, and all the pieces in between.
Merrell 1TRL Moab 3
Editor’s Decide
Merrell 1TRL Moab 3
SELF and Attract buying director (and resident Angeleno) Shanna Shipin calls these “a vibe on the path.” It’s true; Merrell’s new monochromatic look pulls the normal Moab 3s out of the granola sphere and into stylish territory; a shoe you’ll be able to put on when sweating it out on a mountain—or on line at a painfully hip espresso store. “And on this desert sand colour, I by no means have to fret about them showing dusty or soiled on a Southern California hike,” she provides.
New Stability 9060
Editor’s Decide
New Stability 9060
A bit futuristic, a little bit alien-like, a little bit bit Dad Sneaker, and most definitely funky—the 9060s have beamed into New Stability’s basic 99x collection, and we’re glad to see them be a part of the household.
Nike Luka 4
Luka Dončić debuted the newest model of his signature Jordan this spring, throughout his first matchup in opposition to his former crew, the Dallas Mavericks, as a newly minted Laker. His high-profile commerce within the 2024–2025 season sparked loads of buzz—a lot in order that these modern new sneakers could have flown beneath the radar. SELF affiliate social media supervisor Katie Gunderman wears them each on and off the court docket, and loves how streamlined they’re for a basketball shoe.
Pompeii Gemini
Editor’s Decide
Pompeii Gemini
Someplace between an Onitsuka Tiger and the Miu Miu x New Stability collaboration sits Pompeii’s Gemini, at an affordable value level no much less. The Spanish model designs sneakers for motion, drawing inspiration from classic sport (see its new collaboration with Tan Line, and crusing and soccer references), and we love the place this 2025 launch landed.
Salomon ACS Professional Gore-Tex
Editor’s Decide
Salomon Acs Professional Gore-Tex
These had been designed with mountaineering and adventuring in thoughts, however you’re simply as prone to spot them on a Sunday stroll in Brooklyn. For the tech fanatics, they characteristic a Gore-Tex rim across the sole and Salomon’s signature Quicklace system. And for the indoor crowd who admire a gorpcore nod, they arrive in a wealthy chocolate brown—a runway-favorite colorway we hope sticks round for some time.
Finest Collabs
Salomon x Sandy Liang Speedcross 3—Ribbon
Finest Collab
Salomon x Sandy Liang Speedcross 3—Ribbon
An unlikely pairing, or match made in heaven? Balletcore meets gorpcore on this playful Salomon and Sandy Liang collab. The conflict of female and rugged particulars creates a sneaker that’s each whimsical and wearable, marrying two of the most important traits of the yr.
Miu Miu x New Stability 530 SL
Finest Collab
Miu Miu x New Stability 530 SL
For Coco Gauff, event season can also be vogue season. Notably this yr, as she cheekily debuted items from her joint collaboration with Miu Miu and New Stability throughout matches in Rome, Berlin, and shortly, Cincinnati. The road can be accessible this September, and we’ve bought our eyes on the 530 SLs: Gauff put her personal spin on the already-viral sneaker with a beautiful new slate of colorways.
New Stability x Auralee 990v4 Made in USA
Finest Collab
New Stability x Auralee 990v4 Made in USA
On this collaboration, Japanese model Auralee brings its signature mix of polish, timelessness, and nature-inspired design to the New Stability 990v4. The serene blue colorway, accented with butter yellow and heat gray, seems like true quiet luxurious—ideally suited for pairing with menswear-inspired appears, like a fantastic pair of tailor-made trousers.
Asics x Cecilie Bahnsen Gel-Quantum 360 VIII
Finest Collab
Asics x Cecilie Bahnsen Gel-Quantum 360 VIII
Cecilie Bahnsen’s Asics Mary Jane is ultramodern and childlike suddenly, not dissimilar from the Danish designer’s line of romantic, frilly, and poofy, voluminous clothes. The sneaker appears proper at dwelling on a Copenhagen avenue—however you’ll be able to deliver a few of that European sensibility anyplace when sporting these.
Adidas x Dangerous Bunny Ballerina
Finest Collab
Adidas x Dangerous Bunny Ballerina
Dangerous Bunny has persistently embraced and celebrated his Puerto Rican heritage in his work. His newest collaboration with Adidas, which dropped earlier this yr, is not any exception. “It is a silhouette that blends sport and vogue, instantly resonating with me,” SELF and Attract social media supervisor—and fellow Boricua—Bianca Richards says. “I used to be additionally drawn to the storytelling behind the sneakers—an extension of the power and emotion from his hit album, Debí Tirar Más Fotos. The gold and black colorway stays my favourite—a go-to pair that carries the spirit of cultural pleasure and inventive expression.”
Nike x Hayley Wilson SB Dunk Low Professional
Finest Collab
Nike x Hayley Wilson SB Dunk Low Professional
Hayley Wilson, the Australian professional skateboarder who first certified for the X-Video games in 2017, at 15 years previous—making her the youngest Girls’s Avenue Division competitor in contest historical past—dropped her signature shoe with Nike earlier this summer time to a lot fanfare. They’re full of non-public element, with designs impressed by Wilson’s tattoos and a heel tab that adjustments colour within the solar. Our favourite bit is the typography along with her signature phrase: “You Reckon.” (Sure, we do.)
Images by Myles Loftin.
