7 Elevated Leather-Trainer Outfits to Wear in 2026

I have a long history with trainers. A staple of my capsule wardrobe for over a decade, as I’ve grown up (and my tastes have somewhat refined), all of a sudden, some styles feel a little passé, and I find myself not wearing them as much. Whereas once I would’ve tapped a pair of trainers for a cool-girl edge, lately, I’ve been choosing buckled biker boots instead. Or when offsetting my loosest pair of jeans, flat-soled loafers add the elevation I started to feel my favourite sneakers lacked. Needless to say, outfits with leather trainers were absent from my rotation for a while.

However, when I recently spotted Who What Wear UK’s senior shopping editor, Marina Avram, in her silver Onitsuka Tigers, I started to rethink things. Having overlooked trainers for a while, I’d forgotten how functional, undeniably comfortable and, most importantly, elevated they can be. But seeing her wearing her metallic sneakers with a cosy cashmere cardigan, barrel-leg jeans and a suede tote bag had all my previous feelings about trainers flooding back.

With bolder, fresher shapes flooding the runways (and the streets) now, trainer trends feel quite exciting as we head into 2026. From chilli-red checkerboard Vans at Valentino to suede taupe slimline styles at Dries van Noten, designers are looking to nostalgic colourways and retro designs for spring/summer 2026.

With trainers, it’s all about the silhouette. The ones popular now fall into two camps: the hyper-functional and the nostalgic (a few pairs fall into both!). With aesthetics and trends moving faster than you can say “Onitsuka Tiger“, sometimes the pairs we choose don’t end up doing our outfits justice. However, regardless of shape, leather trainers have an innate timelessness which supersedes other, more trend-led styles.

The next wave of trainers is less about overhyped brands and flashy logos and is instead focused on how we live in our shoes. From hiking-approved gorpcore trainers to sneakerina styles (the former being characteristically supportive and the latter a sporty version of a ballet flat), all coming through, the shift towards functionality and style in equal measure is more prominent than ever. In the other camp, with nostalgia on the rise, the renewed appreciation of iconic styles such as Isabel Marant‘s wedge trainers feels exciting as we head into 2026.