Best Footwear Trends at Paris Fashion Week Men's FW26
From the avant-garde artistry of Comme des Garçons’s collaborations to the mammoth proportions of the Balenciaga 10XL.
Summary
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The footwear landscape of Paris Fashion Week FW26 was dominated by a diverse range of Comme des Garçons collaborations, most notably the monochromatic Nike Sense 96 SP and the “Cat Eye” Foamposite One
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Maximalist and chunky silhouettes remained a primary trend, with the Balenciaga 10XL, ERL Vamp Skate and more
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Technical performance and comfort were prioritized through a surge in dynamic ASICS colorways and weather-ready Salomons
The footwear narrative at Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2026 was a diverse dialogue between avant-garde subversion and technical utility. Leading the charge was the omnipresent influence of Comme des Garçons, whose collaborative output appeared in multiple iterations across the city. Most notable was the Comme des Garçons Homme Plus x Nike Sense 96 SP in a sleek, monochromatic black—a silhouette that bridges Zen-inspired minimalism with innovative foam comfort. This was bolstered by the archival return of the CDG x Nike Air Foamposite One “Cat Eye” and a resurgence of last year’s New Balance 509 partnership, cementing the brand’s status as the ultimate curator of the “sneaker as art.”
In direct contrast to the slim “steppers,” chunky, maximalist sneakers maintained a heavy presence. The ERL Vamp Skate and Balenciaga 10XL served as architectural anchors for the season’s baggy silhouettes, alongside the Rick Owens Mega Bumper Geobasket and the Louis Vuitton LV Trainer. These “mammoth stompers” were balanced by a sophisticated wave of ASICS, which prioritized dynamic colorways and performance-driven comfort—specifically seen in the GEL-QUANTUM 360 I AMP and the UB10-S GEL-KAYANO 20.
adidas also reclaimed center stage through a series of high-profile collaborations. The Song for the Mute x adidas Shadowturf and the croc-embossed Y-3 Sala showcased the brand’s range, while the Taekwondo Mei Ballet shoe addressed the growing trend of slim, minimalist footwear. Technical resilience was also a key theme for the rainy Parisian winter; Salomon remained the “gorpcore” standard through partnerships like the Carhartt WIP x X-ALP and 11 By Boris Bidjan Saberi’s Bamba 2 Low, while Salehe Bembury’s SPUNGE Osmosis in the “Rizzoli” colorway added a textured, organic edge to the high-performance landscape.
