Goodbye old friends
We’ve known it for a while, but now it’s official. According to consumer analysts Mintel, women are buying more trainers than heels.
Their research shows almost half of women (48 per cent) have bought trainers in the past year, compared to 30 per cent who have bought new heels.
Only 12 per cent of women would rather buy heels, while 59 per cent said they’d rather buy flat shoes like trainers.
Last year, however, sales were equal with 35 per cent of women buying new heels and trainers.
It’s hardly a surprise, everybody is obsessed with trainers at the moment. People camped overnight for the new Yeezy’s last weekend, celebrities are constantly doing collaborations with big trainer brands and this morning Asos launched Looped, a section of their site dedicated to sneaker and sportswear news.
Tamara Sender, senior fashion analyst at Mintel, said: “For the first time ever sales of trainers have overtaken high heels.
“The UK sportswear market has seen strong growth in the last year and there has been a trend for consumers to integrate sports clothing into their daily wardrobes, meaning trainers have also become more popular among women, overtaking heels to become the second favourite item of footwear after flat shoes.
“Athletic footwear is increasingly being used for everyday non-sporting activities showing that trainers are now more likely to be used for non-sports use.
“Women aged 35 to 44 have become the main trainer buyers proving the trend is no longer limited to younger consumers.”
Featured image from @theliveitup via @crepecity