It’s Official—No Lace Trainers Are Going to Rule This Spring

As someone who predicts trends for a living, I pride myself on having a good idea about the looks and pieces set to soar over the next few months. But now and then I catch wind of a new trend that entirely takes me by surprise.

Turning everything I thought I knew about trainers on its head, the no laces trainer trend burst onto the scene this season and it gaining serious pace.

A movement in its own right, all of a sudden, so many of my favourite trainer brands are producing sneakers sans shoe laces. Beyond creating a streamlined silhouette and a directional finish, I can’t help but find this trend more playful than others. In lieu of laces, labels have experimented with velcro straps—reminiscent of the styles we all wore before honing the skill of tying said laces—or with sleek, flat tongues or, in some instances, drawstring closures.

This isn’t just a fluke—trainer brands of every sort have started to experiment with the emerging look. Adidas recently re-released its covetable Taekwondo trainers, set on a super-slim sole and complete with a laceless design. While Nike’s Air Rifts—designed without laces, instead featuring a velcro closure and a split-toe design—have sold out over and over. Salomon has produced mary-jane-inspired pairs and Isabel Marant seems to be entirely done with laces, favouring straps instead.

For me, laces feel entirely fundamental to the makeup of a trainer, which is exactly why this emerging trend feels so striking—it totally reimagines a silhouette we’ve become incredibly comfortable with.

While the trainer trend took me by surprise, in hindsight, the clues have been there for a while now. We’ve seen trainers get increasingly experimental in recent seasons, bringing a wave of ballet trainers as well as “ugly” and unconventional styles to the fore—all of which have helped to pave the way for this emerging trend to bloom.

While these trainers feel more unusual than traditional styles—and might strike you as tricky to wear—I actually find that their playful design makes them easier to style than you might think. Some find that exposed and knotted laces can look a little messy with certain outfits—I regularly see people tucking their laces into the sides of their trainers to create a more streamlined finish. Eliminating laces negates this need.