Anthology of football boots designed by fashion designers

At the intersection of fashion and football, 2025 will be the year of the football boots. Until now, football jerseys have taken center stage in this widely explored connection, but the upcoming year could mark an aesthetic evolution: from the well-established pairing of football jerseys and trousers (a staple of blokecore), we might witness football boots taking the spotlight. Football boots are poised to become the new protagonists, styled with tracksuits and trousers of all kinds, heralding a revival of an aesthetic rooted partly in the influence of major brands like Nike and adidas. While Nike is gearing up to bring back the Total 90 III in March 2025, adidas finds its success in low-top silhouettes like Samba, Spezial, and Gazelle—models ranging from general releases to limited-edition collaborations, such as those with Wales Bonner.

One standout example is the Samba, a shoe introduced in the 1950s by Adi Dassler, whose key feature was its rubber sole, designed to provide stability for football players on icy fields. This shows that the reinvention of such historic models has significantly helped brands boost revenue while familiarizing general audiences with football-inspired designs. Now, we are ready for a true aesthetic revolution with greater awareness and sophistication. As if that weren’t enough, an additional push toward the ultimate success of football boots in everyday outfits comes from fashion designers, without whom sportswear brands' efforts might not lead to a true revolution.

The First Fashion Football Boots

Before analyzing the current state of football-inspired sneakers and the contributions of designers and brands, it’s worth reflecting on who were the first designers to be captivated by the unique silhouettes of football boots. These pioneers saw them not just as simple game items but as powerful cultural hooks that could be reinterpreted to reach a broader audience—and, let’s admit it, to claim the credit for being trailblazers in a specific field. When it comes to authentic football boots, a special mention goes to Belgian designer Dirk Bikkembergs. Operating in a seemingly distant context, such as Italy’s Serie C2, Bikkembergs acquired the Fossombrone club, giving it a strong fashion identity. In addition to kits, he also created memorable football boots. In 2006, he launched the Bix, and at Pitti in 2008, he unveiled the Tirosegno, boots that within months would appear on the feet of Giorgio Chiellini, Ludovic Giuly, Reto Ziegler, Dario Dainelli, Antonio Floro Flores, Paolo Cannavaro, Francesco Modesto, and Rubinho.

If we focus on football-inspired shoes, Jil Sander would undoubtedly be crowned the visionary brand par excellence. Over 20 years ago, in 2003, the Spike Turf was born from a collaboration between the German designer’s brand (Raf Simons was the creative director of menswear at the time) and fellow German brand PUMA. A true design gem that never hit the market, it can now be found—not only in PUMA's archives in Herzogenaurach but also on online marketplaces, often at surprisingly accessible prices. The standout feature of the Spike Turf was its upper, directly derived from PUMA’s iconic King football boot, combined with a sole featuring small spikes, as the name suggests. Despite its innovative design, it likely raised some doubts among potential buyers about its comfort.

Then there’s Rei Kawakubo, who fully embraced her creative direction and maximalist style for the SS09 collection, showcasing a leather shoe inspired by the classic black-and-white football aesthetic. Before football reached the runway, bringing its full spirit along—including football boots—from Balenciaga to Miu Miu, there is a rich history of events behind this evolution.

Low-Tops, Chunky Sneakers, and Football Boots

Returning to the present, football boots have already taken center stage at the Fashion Weeks of New York, London, and Paris, as well as in lookbooks from mid-range brands such as Acne Studios and BOTTER World. Changing the target audience, there’s also Louis Vuitton under Pharrell Williams, which just days ago released a football boot inspired by Umbro’s Tocco. However, these designs have so far remained confined to experimental contexts, struggling to break through into mainstream culture. But these models for now have remained catwalk suggestions, seen on the runway or in re-sees, but failing to overcome their experimental nature. Unlike football jerseys, which have now become an across-the-board and diverse fashion item across the entire market spectrum, shoes inspired by those for players are less immediate and certainly more complex from both functional and cultural perspectives. It will be much more difficult for these models to appeal to everyone, especially at a time in history when public and fashion attention is focused more on items such as pants, jackets, and outerwear, rather than sneakers.

Additionally, the footwear world is undergoing a phase where chunky lines are no longer as dominant as they were a few years ago, giving way to the unprecedented popularity of low-tops over the last 30 years. Models such as the aforementioned Samba, Gazelle, and Spezial, along with 2024’s It-sneaker, the PUMA Speedcat, illustrate this shift. The Speedcat further demonstrates how basketball-inspired aesthetics, which dominated footwear for years, have now made room for football-inspired designs. Football boots—some with aerodynamic designs, others with more voluminous lines—have the potential to fit perfectly into this segment, challenging (or complementing) the market's dominant models. It will be up to brands to decide whether to adapt them with more unique features. Whether through the reuse of historic football boot models or through new designs that go beyond the limits of performance - in the coming year, the ultimate consecration of sports aesthetics will also take place through footwear.