Fashion permeates all areas of life, believe it or not it is an integral part of our lives, whether going with the flow or against it, it says something about you and your tastes. But one thing that has not been updated in a while is gym fashion, and that is about to change, especially in the sneaker department.
You might think, “of course fashion in the gym has changed a lot in the past 40 odd years! If you watch famous workout videos from the 80’s you will be amused by the outfits people wore to work out in. But the reality is that leggings and tracksuits have been around since then, albeit in different iterations, and that unless you do a specific sport that requires a particular footwear, sneakers have been the standard just as long.
And now this is all changing. The reasons are varied, but the main one is that nowadays there are so many forms of exercise that do not conform exactly to tradition, that using the same shoe for all of them seems counterintuitive. Another reason is that now we are seeing once again exercise spaces as social spaces, where we go not just to get in shape, but maybe meet people and impress them with our style. After all, it is just another place to showcase our personality and individual sense of personhood.
Given this, what is the new shoe that will revolutionize workout spaces?
The new footwear trend that has dethroned sneakers and is taking over the Gym
This new trend might not be for everyone, in fact, as of right now it is only for women as the trending shoe only comes in women’s sizes and styles, so finding them for men might be hard even of they want to try out this new shoe. Plus, it is insanely popular in Social Media sites such as TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram, so if you are not part of the Social Media circles you might not have heard about this new shoe and might not even be interested in trying them out, preferring to keep to your old sneakers or even do some exercises barefoot.
The new “in” shoe is the Puma Speedcat Ballet, which, as their name suggests, are inspired by traditional ballet flats both in style and comfort features. Like all trends, the aesthetic part is key in having made them popular, and these new shoes feature low sides and a few elastics across the top of the foot to ensure that they are light, breezy and allow for maximum foot movement without slipping out.
They are, of course a lot studier than traditional ballet flats designed for ballet, as these are meant to be used in all types of gym environments, although they are especially popular for those who practice Pilates and Yoga because of their light and airy design, their ability to twist with the foot and the support that they give the arches. The fact that they are completely flat without any heel has also made them popular for those who like to lift weights but dislike the traditional flat sneakers because of the aesthetic (or the newer “CrossFit” shoes that fulfill the same purpose but are even more aesthetically displeasing).
These are now available worldwide and they come in two styles and a variety of colors, which should make choosing the one that coordinates with your gym outfit easier. The price point is what you would expect for Puma sneakers, not too cheap and not too expensive, but with good quality materials which will make them long lasting.