The Origins of the Dad Shoe Empire

The dad shoe trend has occupied the sneaker world for years, from high fashion to shopping malls, London to Ohio. What started off as a meme identifying the chunky runners worn in the classic Polo and Shorts ensemble, evolved into a trend we’ve yet to see come to an end.

What are Dad Shoes?

If we had to some up, Dad Shoes are chunky sneakers usually runners with plenty of support, usually white leather or grey/silver mesh. In terms of shoes that dads actually wore before the trend took off, there are several favourites to pick from. One of the most notable and beloved is the Nike Air Monarch IV, you might have seen a few of these around 2018. These came in three main colourways and featured a thick and supportive full-length Air midsole.

Of course, if we’re talking Dad Shoes, we’ve gotta talk about New Balance. Similar to the Air Monarch, the NB 624 features a simple white leather build, this time with an ABZORB midsole adding the support to the thick cushy midsole. Of course, New Balance has never been short of well-rounded runners, like their iconic premium 990 series.

All in all, the main takeaway from these shoes is their relaxed feel. Aside from their support and wearability, their simple colours and chunky builds made them easy to style with a lot of ‘fits. No wonder they bled into the mainstream and served as a blank canvas for new high fashion takes.

How did the trend spread?

Balenciaga’s Triple S is a key moment in the trend’s evolution. Even as Dad Shoes were peaking at the end of the 2010s there was always a hint of irony surrounding them, so it makes sense that Balenciaga would be behind one of its biggest entries into high fashion. This shoe was no joke though, with its distinct thick sole, elevated rope laces and tasteful colourways, this was Balenciaga’s go-to piece for those who could afford it.

The Yeezy line also had a crack at it with one of their most recognizable shoes stemming from this trend, the 700 Wave Runner. Designed by Ye with the legendary Steven Smith, the Wave Runner not only had a thick silhouette but an unmistakable retro colour palette including silver, green and orange. Fitting that the Wave Runner would take off since Dad Shoes stole a lot of thunder from the sock-like sneakers that Yeezy and adidas had spearheaded.

New Balance rode the Dad Shoe wave, notably boasting one of the biggest taglines in fashion in the past few years, “Worn by models in London and dads in Ohio”. The tag was used to promote their 2019 release of the 990v5, effortlessly tapping into the shoe’s origin and universality.

Alongside their Made in USAs, the sporty 997s and normcore 574s were gaining traction around the same time. The Dad Shoe trend has definitely had some hand in New Balance’s continued rise in popularity, and since then there’s been no shortage of chunky NB silhouettes like the 530s, and most recently the 2002Rs.

Where are they now?

While the irony-tinged love of the classic Monarchs and 624s might be what it was, the breakouts from the trend like the 990s and Yeezy 700s are still getting plenty of attention these days. Trends move on, and every brand mentioned here has had new models and lines to push not to mention new or different brands entirely.

Recently we’ve seen the rise of the Ugly Shoe, held up by brands like Hoka One One. This trend feels like a natural evolution of Dad Shoes, with a similar emphasis on running silhouettes and chunky midsoles. With the pandemic bringing comfort back to the forefront of people’s fashion needs, and trendy silhouettes being in no rush to shrink back down, the supportive Dad Shoe has proven to be more than a passing trend.