It connects first ladies with rappers: how the white trainer defined a decade

You own the It shoe of this decade already, even if you don’t know it. I’m not talking about the fur-lined backless Gucci loafer that nearly broke the internet in 2015. Nor do I mean the girls-night-out vibes of the deathless Valentino Rockstud, with its studded straps. I have no idea whether you own the Isabel Marant Dicker ankle boot, the one that never seems to leave the Paris front row.

I’m talking about your white trainers. Your Adidas Stan Smiths, perhaps. Or maybe you recently bought into the new ethical brand, Veja. You might wear Reebok Classic or Nike Cortez or have gone full ironic dad-trainer in chunky Fila. Possibly you are loyal to a pair of Converse worn thin as a cotton T-shirt. Maybe you’ve bought a new pair of white trainers this year already; maybe you’ve been wearing the same pair for five. Maybe you keep them in a box and clean them with a special toothbrush. Maybe you didn’t even know that keeping trainers in a box and cleaning them with a toothbrush was a thing.

Zoom out on the optics of a decade as it draws to a close, and the zeitgeist comes into focus. When you look at the big picture of the last 10 years – of catwalk shows and front rows, of street style and wellness, of Netflix-and-chill and gender-fluid wardrobes, of athleisure and the new rules of workwear – a constellation of white trainers twinkles across the board, touching every zone of fashion. The white trainer unites sportswear giants with niche brands, crosses from menswear to womenswear. It connects the young with school-run mums, first ladies with rap stars, style obsessives with utilitarian dressers. And it defies burnout: white sneaker sales are booming.

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