No Offense to Sambas, But Gen Z Is Crowning These 5 Styles the It Sneakers of 2025

Gen Z Says is a bimonthly column chronicling the latest trends in the fashion-and-beauty space through the lens of Who What Wear's own Gen Z editors. Expect a download on the upcoming class of tastemakers, emerging designers, and shopping and style choices straight from the generation setting the trends.

It seems like every year has an It shoe style or item fashion people can't help but sell out. In 2023 and for most of 2024, the fashion inclined were seeking out the Adidas Samba. Sleek, low profile, and Bella Hadid approved, the silhouette dominated nearly every single trend guide I saw and wrote when it came to sneakers. According to fashion's favorite trend analysis account Data, But Make It Fashion, the Adidas Samba sneakers were all anyone could talk about last year. Clearly, the style has cemented itself as timeless rather than trendy thanks to widespread adoption, but as they say, all good things must come to an end. There are new sneakers in town captivating Gen Z's attention, all each influential in their own right.

While some of 2025's Gen Z–beloved styles are age-old favorites, a few are hard-to-miss collaborations and newly released styles blending Zoomers' playful, youthful aesthetic with the practicality of everyday footwear. It's the dawn of a new day for sneakers, and the streets are buzzing with these five It shoes. Below, scroll to read more about the styles Gen Z is trying to gatekeep before they sell out completely.

A few of our Gen Z editors are already sold on the Puma Speedcat, effortlessly styling the retro, motorsport-inspired sneakers in their daily wardrobes. Although the Speedcat was first conceptualized in 1999 in Germany, it has taken off in recent months, and celebrities like Dua Lipa and Emily Ratajkowski have been seen sporting the sleek, nostalgic style with tube socks. While the fashion crowd's go-to choice for these sneakers is red, the chocolate colorway and classic black version are calling my name too. According to StockX's 2025 Current Culture Index, Puma increased in popularity by 10%, year over year.

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If there's anything you need to know about Gen Z, it's that there's nothing we love more than Sandy Liang. The New York–based designer is essentially the sub-27 style set's people's princess. The brand's first collaboration with Salomon sold out late last year, but the duo teamed up yet again for a fresh take on Salomon's XT-Whisper silhouette. Pink and red, two signature hues for Liang, are present throughout the shoes, and there's a sweet flower detail hidden on the inside. The romantic colorway and the gorpcore, technical look of the Salomons are the perfect combination for the cool, chronically online Zoomer in your life.

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Although these Onitsuka Tiger sneakers may have appeared on your buy list in 2023 and 2024, their momentum is still growing. As the brand shuttered operations in the United States and the style set embarked on their Japanese vacations, custom-made Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Sneakers kept popping up on my feed thanks to the brand's Ginza boutique. While I managed to track down the classic Kill Bill pair worn by Uma Thurman in the 2003 film before Onitsuka Tiger closed down its U.S. stores, Gen Z influencers, stylists, and editors have scoured the internet to get their hands on a pair—any pair—of these vintage-looking kicks.

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Although I said the Adidas Sambas might be a tad overplayed, I didn't say Adidas as whole was. The German sports company has been a go-to athletic brand for decades now, with each generation gravitating toward its classic sneakers and timeless track pants. Even though most people would defer to the Samba as the number one shoe style to buy from the brand in 2025, Gen Z begs to differ. The under-27 crowd is setting their sights on the sleek, lightweight Adidas Tokyo silhouette that the brand has been heavily promoting over the last few months. A retro gum sole and an ultra-thin leather body make these shoes perfect to slip on and head out the door in. Plus, they ring in at under $100. What's better than that?

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Gen Z practically grew up on Nike. The brand's white Air Force 1s were our saving grace—often dirty and beat-up thanks to Emma Chamberlain popularizing the style at the peak of the mid-2010s. Although the OG Gen Z It girl may have traded in her AF 1s for Tabis, Nikes are still top of mind for many her age. Case in point: the rising popularity of Nike's chunky, fashion-forward P-6000. Although the running shoes have roots to the early 2000s, fresh metallic colorways have them popping up on Gen Z editors in Copenhagen and New York City. Guilty as charged! According to StockX's 2025 Current Culture Index, Nike remains the most buzzworthy sneaker brand on the site, no doubt due to the brand's sneakers.

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