Long before the “sneakerina” came on the scene, the wedge sneaker was the first true hybrid. The 2010s’ divisive shoe was born from a binary: at that time you were either the girl in heels or the girl on the bleachers in sneakers. The chunky heeled footwear offered the option of being both. At the centre of this orbit was Isabel Marant, whose Bekett sneaker—a high-top with a puffy tongue and those divisive Velcro straps—turned a teenage habit of stuffing cork into trainers for height into a global uniform. It was an anomaly: a performance shoe that couldn’t actually perform. Yet it defined the It-girl aesthetic of the time, worn by Gisele Bündchen, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Beyoncé in her ‘Love on Top’ video era. Even that classic 2012 film Pitch Perfect featured its cast in a Converse version of the shoe.
But within a few years, the wedge sneaker faded from its well-supported heights. In 2014 Isabel Marant herself admitted to being horrified by the slew of copies that had flooded the market. She told The Cut, “They have become something super-vulgar, so I’m not feeling like I want to be the wedge-sneaker designer.” A 14-year-old Reddit thread encapsulates the divide: one user calls them “hideous”, while another defends them as a way to wear heels in places where they don’t belong.
Over a decade later, the cycle has come full circle. Much like the return of Uggs (as seen on Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Lily-Rose Depp) or indie-sleaze Napoleon jackets, we’re entering a phase of hate-wearing the wedge until it inevitably grows on us. Even Marant had a change of heart; in 2024 she introduced the Balskee, a souped-up Bekett with an even more robust sole. With everyone currently reaching for “sneakerised” versions of any shoe, it’s clear that cosy, extra height is here to stay.
I wanted to remain a hater, and as a recent sneaker convert, the wedge felt like an abomination—until Puma teased a streamlined version of their iconic Speedcat in December. Now, my feed is a wall of baddies in hybrids, and an ‘out of stock’ button is the only thing standing between us and our 2011 selves. The data confirms this return too: In 2025, Lyst reported a 630 per cent surge in demand for the Marant Bekett. We spotted Tyla grounding a utilitarian boiler suit with sleek black wedges on The Jennifer Hudson Show, and Blue Ivy Carter courtside in Beketts with chunky, burgundy suede laces. Just last month, Rachel Sennott brought the look to the Sundance Film Festival, proving that the ugly shoe is officially having a beautiful moment.
How to play the deception in 2026
Styling the wedge in 2026 requires a total rejection of the skinny-jeans-and-going-out-top era. To make the 80 mm lift work, lean into the rule of extremes. Pair them with floor-sweeping puddle pants or wide-leg denim to give the hidden height a purpose—providing necessary clearance for an ultra-long hem without the shoe becoming the punchline. Alternatively, embrace the doll-like weight with a heavy jersey column skirt or balloon-like trousers to create an architectural, bottom-heavy proportion. Since this is a performance shoe that can’t actually perform, steer into the irony by swapping athleisure for structured tailoring or oversized separates.
Whether you’re a convert or a hater, here are the pairs giving in to the lift:
