Athletic Footwear Brands Show Up in Full Force at Paris Fashion Week Men’s – Showcasing New Collabs, Innovation and More
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As the Summer Olympic Games quickly approach, it was no surprise to see a large number of athletic brands activating around Paris Fashion Week Men’s this month.
Asics, Saucony and Salomon have hosted large pop-up showrooms – often in the Marais district – for retail buyers and press for a few seasons now. More athletic brands joined the conversation this season, and big names like Nike, Adidas and New Balance continued to make a splash on the runway.
Here, we showcase the major news from biggest names in athletic footwear during Paris Fashion Week Men’s.
Adidas
Adidas unveiled new styles of its highly sought-after tie-up with Wales Bonner as well as its spring/summer 2025 sneaker drop for Y-3.
At Wales Bonner, the duo showed a new footwear silhouette for their collaboration, the Country Low, which is issued in a khaki suede or in black and white leather with perforated three-stripe motif. Another highlight is a deconstructed version of the Superstar Hi-top sneaker in lush suede.
At Y-3’s runway show on Friday, Adidas offered up its latest Regu sneaker, which was a reinterpreted take on a low-profile shoe from the first Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto collaboration. Plus, the new Y-3 Zodai signals a step into the future as the iconic Adidas Superstar is subverted in three iterations with exaggerated yet ultra-lightweight constructions. Elsewhere in the collection, canvas overflows the Nizza boot and the Stan Smith is made adaptable with velcro straps.
Asics
Asics made its presence known, with a pop-up store featuring some of its newest collaborations and in-line Sportstyle models as well as a slate of special events. The three-day pop-up, which marked the third time the athletic brand hosted this event during Paris Fashion Week, saw collections from four collaborators – including Cecilie Bahnsen, Kengo Kuma & Associates, Doublet and Up There – launched each day.
In addition, Asics also hosted a private dinner at Kith’s Paris flagship store to toast founder Ronnie Fieg’s new Asics Gel-Kayano 12.1 sneakers, which officially launched on Monday. Plus, the Japanese footwear brand hosted a separate Parisian pop-up for its latest sneaker with DJ and producer Zack Bia in celebration of his forthcoming sneaker collaboration with his imprint Field Trip Recordings. Finally, music platform NTS Radio linked up with Asics at this year’s Fête de la Musique on Friday for a free party at the Ecole Duperré Paris.
Nike
Nike geared up for its big Olympic moment last week with two activations around Paris. The brand hosted a livestream on the Nike’s SNKRS app that took place at the Centre Pompidou – which will serve as a centerpiece at the Summer Games – where the athletic brand teased over 30 upcoming footwear styles and apparel pieces.
The brand previewed the women’s Air Max SNDR Gore-Tex and a lifestyle adaptation of the Total 90 III SP football boot, along with fresh takes on the Air Zoom Spiridon, Air Flightposite and Air Foamposite One.
Nike also hosted press at its Paris HQ above its House of Innovation flagship on the Champs-Élysées. At this event, the brand showed off some other sneakers it’s investing in throughout the coming months – including the satin Cortez sneaker in the lifestyle category and its Olympic staple, the Alphafly super shoe line.
Plus on the runway, Nike teased teased fresh takes of its ongoing collaborations with Comme des Garçons Homme Plus and Sacai, which are sure to be must-haves next spring.
New Balance
New Balance showed up in a few places in Paris this season. First up, the footwear brand showed off its latest sneaker collab with Auralee during the Japanese fashion brand’s spring/summer 2025 show. This time, the duo has teamed up on two colorways of the New Balance 475 sneaker – a style originally designed in the mid-1980s. This latest sneaker follows the two companies robust collab calendar, which saw drops of the Wrpd Runner, 1906R, 550 and 990v4.
New Balance also previewed its newest shoe with Southern California-based streetwear brand Basketcase with a pop-up gallery in the Marais district. In its third Paris Fashion Week pop-up, Basketcase showed off its futuristically dark-meets-chrome New Balance 1906AD sneaker with a special shopping event that caused a line of eager sneakerheads to queue on Rue Chapon waiting to grab their own pairs of the silhouette.
Puma
Puma’s big moment came on Friday night with the debut of its latest project with A$AP Rocky at the musicians AWGE show in Paris. The limited re-issue of the OG Inhale shoe from 2000 in summer melon-high risk red, which launched in May, was styled for the AWGE runway. Hand-picked from the Puma archive by Rocky himself, the limited re-issue of the Inhale could also be seen in a variety of new colors coming this fall. In addition, the classic Puma Speedcat featured in both black and red hit the runway as well as a 3D printed Mostro sneaker.
Earlier in the week, Puma popped up again on the runway via a shoe collab with LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi. For this tie-up, Nouchi took on Puma’s Mostro style and transformed into a slip-on mule. This version is crafted from molded EVA foam and highlights the Mostro’s distinctive anatomical sole and signature studs. The style is available in LGN’s signature colors of deep black and bone white.
Salomon
Salomon took over the two-story 116 Rue De Turenne to host its Sportstyle hub for retailers and press this week. While showcasing its top secret collabs for spring 2025, the space also featured a lounge and space that hosted a workshop inspired by the signature cage seen on many of Salomon’s sneakers.
In addition to this pop-up, Salomon also hosted a group run, a cocktail party to toast its collaboration with Hartcopy at its new Sportstyle store in the Marais, a community brunch at Huddle Coffee and a party for Fête de la Musique on Friday night.
Saucony
The Wolverine Worldwide-owned company held two activations in Paris. House of Saucony featured the relaunch of the Matrix sneaker – slated to make its official comeback next spring. Those who can’t wait that long, however, will see the style make an appearance in November with Saucony’s latest tie-up with Jae Tips.
In addition to this Marais home base, Saucony teamed up with Parisian retailer Distance for its “Comfort Zone” pop-up, which focused on the soon-to-launch Hurricane 24 sneaker and the foam within the product that sets it apart from other products on the market.
Vans
Vans held an epic bash blending the energy of Paris Fashion Week, Go Skateboarding Day and Fête de la Musique outside of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. The event was the culmination of a week-long slate of activations including a skate jam honoring Anthony Van Engelen and his impact on footwear design progression with the launch of the AVE 2.0 on Tuesday. This was followed by the opening of Vans brand curator and legendary photographer, “Atiba Jefferson: Skate Photography Exhibition,” in partnership with Architecture c/o Virgil Abloh, on Wednesday.
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