Loafers Are Getting Weird. But What Comes Next?
What a few years it’s been for the humble loafer! Pre-pandemic, the slip-on was pulled out of the shoe cupboard for formal affairs and office days. Now, they’re stomping around Sainsbury’s or your local pub, working overtime by adding a little bit of prestige to your everyday outfits. For many, loafers have been promoted to the top of grab-and-go footwear pyramid.
“There are two reasons why,” says Duke & Dexter founder, Archie Hewlett, whose brand has become synonymous with the shoe since setting up shop in 2015. “High-low styling has become more of a thing, as trend makers started to wear loafers in more casual ways – with vests and suit trousers, tees and jeans, all the way through to sweatpants and hoodies. And of course, the shift away from the sneaker boom means that consumers need alternative styles to dress down.”
Business of Fashion reported that Google searches for men’s loafers have increased 25% year over year since 2023, while the global market for loafers was valued at $33.4 billion, according to Grand View Research.
But this year, an onslaught of adventurous takes on loafers – products that had qualities of the original shoe but in a new form – have been popping up.
It all started with perhaps th most shocking hybridisation of this year. In April, New Balance released images of the 1906L; a loafer with mesh uppers and a bouncy, cushioned trainer sole. A troafer? Snoafer?
Unsurprisingly, this elicited a lot of reactions; some positive, but mostly negative (‘It’s like if a mullet were a shoe’ is one Reddit comment that’s lingered in my memory since).
But its launch in September saw it sell out almost instantly. Japanese fashion designer Junya Watanabe’s spin on the silhouette dropped in October, and a black colourway also flew off the shelves. That led to a charcoal hue of the original 1906L to be released earlier this month, which (surprise surprise) is currently out of stock.
The success of this silhouette seemed to spark a few ideas for other brands. GH Bass have released the Weejuns Lug Boot just in time for winter weather, expanding its loafer designs into a style that reaches the ankle. The brand describes it as being inspired by its ‘iconic penny loafers’.
That traditional design also serves as the starting point for JW Anderson’s loafer bag, a new accessory that’s been marked as the ‘biggest release of the season’ for the brand by their PR agency, who also noted that it’s Jonathan’s favourite.
In 2023, there were loafer mules, with the release of the Birkenstock Naples (a practical choice) and Martine Rose’s square-toe style (for the edgier dresser). Yet 2024 took the idea of evolving the loafer into overdrive.
Where does that leave the silhouette? Is the rise of the fusion loafer a sign that we're approaching oversaturation? One thing's for sure: the next 'it' shoe will soon be nipping at the loafer's heels. It may have to keep things simple to survive.
You Might Also Like
