The return of wedge sneakers: Puma revives the controversial footwear trend with its new platform runners – but will you be wearing them?
- Puma has revived the trend for wedge sneakers by launching a new $150 pair
- The style was popular in 2012 but has always been divisive in sartorial circles
- Manrepeller dubbed the wedge sneaker ‘the most controversial shoe in fashion’
- Top sports brand Superga also stocks stylish wedge sneakers for $109.95
Puma has revived the notoriously divisive trend for wedge sneakers.
The German headquartered sports label on Friday announce the Australian launch of its new $150 Cali Wedge, a style of leather platform sneaker inspired by the ‘wedge trainers’ invented by French fashion designer Isabel Marant in 2012.
Wedge sneakers are known for elongating the body, making legs appear longer and leaner without the instability or discomfort of heels.
The launch of the Puma platforms comes almost a decade after the wedge design was first seen on Marant’s catwalk, after she resolved to create comfortable shoes that still lengthened women’s legs in a flattering manner.
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A model wears Puma’s $150 Cali Wedges, which launched in Australia on July 10
The leather platform (pictured) elongates the body, making legs appear longer and leaner without the instability or discomfort of heels
The 53-year-old designer told Fashionista in September 2012 that she often stuck corks inside her trainers to make her look taller, which inspired her to invent a shoe that elevated women without a stiletto.
‘Sneakers are so comfortable but at the same time, [they’re] not very elegant. To have a little heel in it makes a difference, it gives you legs,’ she said.
Manrepeller dubbed the wedge sneaker ‘the most controversial shoe in fashion’ at the time, but supermodels and music icons remained dedicated fans.
A fashion blogger wears the Cali Wedges which have a thick platform sole that makes legs appear longer and leaner
Victoria’s Secret angel Alessandra Ambrosio, actress Dakota Johnson and even Beyoncé were regularly photographed in wedge sneakers in 2012 and early 2013.
Jennifer Lopez donned a gold and white pair of wedge sneakers for her portrayal of exotic dancer and con woman Ramona Vega in 2019 crime drama Hustlers which is set in 2014.
The current style of wedge now available from Puma and top sports brands like Superga are more refined than their predecessors, with uniformly chunky platform soles instead of an angled wedge that tilts the foot forward like a heel.
The OG: Jennifer Lopez wears gold and white wedge sneakers on the New York set of the 2019 crime drama Hustlers, in which she played exotic dancer and con woman Ramona Vega
Victoria’s Secret angel Alessandra Ambrosio (left) is seen in Los Angeles, California on October 5 2012, in a pair of highlighter yellow wedge sneakers
Puma Ambassador Selena Gomez called the resurrected Cali Wedge ‘the perfect shoe to make a statement in’ and raved about its flattering effect on the legs which makes the body look longer and leaner.
‘They give me the height of a heel in the comfort of a sneaker and they are easy to pair with any outfit,’ she said in a statement.
The Cali Wedge is now available in-store and online from Puma Australia and from select retailers including Platypus Shoes.