Trying Snoafers On For Size

Hybrid sneakers are currently a hot footwear-industry niche. The trend is led by snoafers (sneakers combined with loafers), but also encompasses styles that integrate sneakers with pumps, sandals, Mary Janes, clogs, mules, and ballet flats. Licensed IPs, mostly high-end fashion labels, have been part of this movement for some time, typically as part of broader footwear collaborations, with the incidence increasing in the last year or so: 

• Maison Corthay, a French luxury label focused on men’s shoes and leather goods, worked with Asics in February 2025 on a luxury snoafer. The shoes had a calfskin leather upper with Corthay’s well-known patina, allowing it to pass for a dress shoe; subtle Asics logos on the sides; Goretex fabric for the lining; and a sneaker-like rubber sole. The four colorways were lie de vin (a dark wine-red), ebony, moss, and gunmetal. 

• Maison Margiela and Salomon created a Mary Jane-style sneaker, available in two colorways, in fall 2024. The genderless trail-running style had a chunky sole with a more delicate upper featuring a strap across an open front. The shoe was released alongside the label’s autumn/winter 2024 collection. The product continued an ongoing relationship between the two companies that started in 2023 and previously featured as one of its releases a low-backed slip-on sneaker-mule hybrid in three colorways. 

• Miu Miu and New Balance released a sneaker-mule hybrid version of the New Balance 530 model, featuring vintage-look leather, in October 2024. This was the latest in a long line of shoes in various styles released as part of the label’s existing alliance with the shoe marketer, which began in 2022.

• Also in October 2024, Natacha Ramsay-Levi debuted her third footwear drop with Ecco, in a partnership that began in 2023. The collection highlighted Ramsay-Levi’s take on Ecco’s hybrid sneakers featuring elements of several styles—loafers, hiking boots, combat boots, and clogs—as well as colorful lace-ups. Shiny and matte leathers in cocoa, silver, black, and olive were used throughout the range. 

• Junya Watanabe’s ongoing collaboration with New Balance resulted in a hybrid sneaker-loafer in October 2024. The model had a penny loafer look above and New Balance 1906L sneaker features on the sides and bottom, with the Junya Watanabe Man name on the toe box and the shoe’s model number on the sides. It came in grey and white or solid black. 

• Supreme teamed with Nike in September 2024 for a hybrid sneaker-clog the two companies called a “Clogposite,” available in the U.S. and Asia. This was based on an early 2000s Nike hybrid style that was brought back in 2014 as the Solo Slide, and then again as the Clogposite in 2024. The Supreme take was available in three colorways, inspired by racing: black; red, green, and white; and yellow and blue. Racing-specialist designer Aldo Drudi of Drudi Performance, who worked with Nike on its Ducati shoe collaboration, was involved in this initiative as well. 

• Sandy Liang announced a second shoe collection with Salomon in July 2024, consisting of two models that combined Liang’s feminine design sense with the technical expertise of the shoe maker. The Solomon Speedcross 4 Ribbon Sandy Liang was a version of the Speedcross 3 trail runner paired with characteristics of a ballet flat, complete with a pink ribbon to tie along the calf. The slip-on Salomon RX MJ Sandy Liang mixed the RX MOC 3.0 sneaker with a traditional Mary Jane. 

• In July 2023, Cecilie Bahnsen worked with Asics on a hybrid sneaker-and-Mary Jane using the latter’s GEL GT-2160 silhouette as the basis. Integrating both sneaker-like laces and Mary Jane-like straps on the uppers, the shoe featured a shiny silver design with floral patterns and embellishments. 

• Puma paired with Palomo Spain, a label known for its genderless designs, in fall of 2022 for a collaboration that celebrated self-expression and gender fluidity and had a retro and sports-influenced vibe. The collection included two pairs of snoafers—with leather, fringe, and gold embellishments on top and a trail-hiking-style sole—as well as a sneaker-hiking boot hybrid, along with a more traditional sneaker style. Apparel and accessories were also a part of the range. 

While snoafers and other hybrid models seem, on first glance, to be more of an attention-grabbing, short-lived type of product, they have been on the market for a while and continue to attract increasing interest. And, although some styles are edgy and controversial, others are wearable and combine attributes, such as versatility and comfort, that are attractive to many consumers, especially Gen Zs. The fact that virtually all of the major athletic shoe makers have gotten involved in hybrid sneakers, and that their limited-edition runs of hybrid models continue to sell out in many cases, suggests that the trend likely has legs.

A heads-up that Raugust Communications’ July e-newsletter goes out next Tuesday, July 15, 2025. The Licensing Topic of the Month will examine the “dupes” phenomenon, while the Datapoint research spotlight will focus on art licensing programs by genre. If you are not yet a subscriber to this free publication, you can sign up here.