These Are the Most Popular Sneakers of 2016, According to the Internet
Hilary George-Parkin
It probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that sneakers were some of the most searched-for and purchased items on the internet this year, considering most of us want to run away from 2016 as fast as we possibly can. As for which styles in particular struck a chord—and whether any came close to the ubiquity of Adidas‘ Stan Smiths in 2015—we’ve turned to cold, hard data provided by Lyst, Polyvore, Pinterest, and retail analytics firm Edited. Here’s what they found:
MORE: 11 Trends We Saw EVERYWHERE In 2016
According to Edited, a whopping 331,000 new pairs of sneakers came online this year—more than two-thirds of which were in the fashion, rather than performance category. Five percent of sneakers sold out at full price, with Adidas’ shell-toe Superstar style, Nike‘s Flex Trainer 6 and Cortez Ultra Moire, and Fendi’s pricey Monster Leather Skate Sneakers ranking among the fastest-moving styles.
Nike performed well across the board, with Pinterest highlighting the brand’s Roshe One Flyknits as one of the most-pinned styles of the year (this one alone has racked up 32,000 repins). Over at Polyvore, Adidas Superstars were the clear winner in the footwear category, with searches increasing 286 percent year-over-year. Trailing the retro style were Nike’s Air Max Thea (71 percent) and general searches for platform sneakers.
While Lyst also found that Nike and Adidas lead the pack in sales, they also called out Puma‘s strong showing this year, with a 183 percent increase in sales since last year—which makes sense, considering the brand’s recent endorsements from Kylie Jenner, Cara Delevingne, and of course Rihanna, the latter of whom collaborated on the most-viewed sneaker of the year: the sell-out Fenty Puma Creeper.
MORE: Here’s How to Find Out Your 9 Best Instagrams of 2016
Conspicuously absent from every list? New Balance. Too bad, not so sad.
Below, shop some of the hottest sneaker trends of 2016.
