As part of the Micam Milano footwear show at the end of February, consultancy WGSN outlined what it sees as the trends manufacturers and brands should be catering to for spring-summer 2026.
Running will be a big focus for sport shoe retailers, with increasing running clubs to tackle "loneliness epidemic". Shoes will be updated with glow-in-the-dark laces as a safety feature, reflecting an increasing move towards “nocturnal living”, said consultant Madeline Van Der Hoek.
Another key theme will be shoes with “multisensory” or tactile appeal, with important materials including velvets, suedes and jellied textures.
Sports shoes will also be updated with “puffy” soles, rip-stop fabrics and coloured laces, she suggested.
People’s changing holiday habits – for instance, booking holidays in fringe months – mean that summer styles should be available for a longer portion of the year.
However, she also predicted a trend towards smarter dressing as consumers move away from the relaxed styles seen in the pandemic.
To inform its predictions, WGSN uses six years of retail statistics, as well as social media and event data. It also monitors search engines and tracks influencers and brands.
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