Are boat shoes becoming a fashion shoe? All signs point to yes. Each season, a new, slightly off-putting shoe silhouette creeps its way into the trend cycle. We’ve seen plenty of "ugly" shoes prove this over the past decade: water shoes and five-toe Vibrams, Margiela Tabis and Crocs. But while most of these other footwear silhouettes have been grounded in comfort and accessibility, the boat shoe sits in a unique middle ground.
“For the first time in about 10 years, the boat shoe category grew in the first quarter of 2025, with sales up 24 percent versus this time last year,” Beth Goldstein, footwear and accessories advisor at Circana, tells FN. Though its share still makes up less than one percent of the overall fashion category, this rise in popularity is still of note—and their runway resurgence might be the cause.
These days, boat shoes are synonymous with JFK, fraternity brothers, and boat owners, so it might be surprising to note that they were not originally designed to be a shoe of leisure. Their humble beginnings originated in the 1930s, when Sperry founder Paul Sperry started carving grooves into the rubber sole of the brand's regular shoes. The unusual move became popular amongst sailors, whose shoes needed grip to combat slipping on wet surfaces, and before we knew it, the U.S. Navy adapted them during WWII.
It was in Connecticut where Sperry would have the idea to create boat shoes, which makes sense in connection to their WASP-y association. All of the aforementioned indicate a proximity to wealth, and the 1980s solidified them as a preppy mainstay, especially after they were featured in "The Official Preppy Handbook." But why are they showing back up on the runways (and the streets) now?
Miu Miu S/S'24
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The first time I noticed them was for Miu Miu’s Spring/Summer 2024 show, which featured distressed and bleached leather iterations. At Loewe’s S/S ‘25 show, Jonathan Anderson sent a series of two-toned boat shoes down the runway, paired with sculptural, floaty floral dresses and hoop skirts. For Monse’s Fall/Winter 2025 show, boat shoes were re-appropriated as slippers, covered in shearling and worn with matching pajama sets.
Elsewhere, Celine and Bottega Veneta both have offerings in the boat shoe silhouette, some with lug soles, some in suede.
Loewe S/S '25
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It's hard not to read into everything as a sign of economic downturn, but it is telling that the last time preppy shoe was at peak popularity was during COVID-19. While we all sat at home and scrolled on our phones, the trend of glamorizing loungewear felt a natural consequence to our circumstances, and in turn, a fascination with old American glamour emerged. Think: household names like Ralph Lauren, an obsession with caps that somehow featured the word “club” (bonus points for “country club”), vintage Rolexes paired with matching sweat suits, Birkin bags, and 1990s Range Rovers. Tennis became popular (tennis necklaces saw a boom, too) and old images of JFK in cableknit sweaters went back on the moodboard. In a time of extreme financial uncertainty, everyone wanted to romanticize the past and dress as though they had access to wealth.
Monse F/W '25
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This might explain why we're suddenly seeing boat shoes everywhere. Terms like "old money blonde" are still viral on TikTok, as are Birkin unboxings. And while the quiet luxury trend has finally (almost) left the zeitgeist, a flash of camel or a cashmere sweater is never far away enough to completely put it to bed. With this in mind, it’s certainly possible that previous, pompous associations with boat shoes can dissipate with a current a fashion world sign-off, even if the aftertaste of salt and Ralph Lauren Polo lingers on.
While a classic shoe with a firm footing (sorry) in fashion history, will the boat shoe's fashion industry cred endure past summer? Only time— and the economy— will tell.
