Why Ballerina Sneakers Are Blossoming So Quickly This Spring
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A new sneaker trend is quickly building enough momentum to carry it through a dizzying amount of pirouettes.
Ballerina sneakers are sprouting across the landscape this spring. Adidas and Bad Bunny’s latest sneaker is called just that, the Ballerina. Puma has reconfigured two of its recent retro hits, the Mostro and Speedcat, in the style of ballet flats. Crocs has debuted the gorp-meets-dance Terre Ballet Core. And Louis Vuitton is representing luxury with its Sneakerina.
All of these sneakers launching in such proximity could hardly be a coincidence. In fact, given the conditions set by the last several years in sneakers and women’s footwear, the proliferation of ballerina sneakers was practically fated.
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Although the trend is still quite young, StockX told Footwear News its seen sales for sneakers with the term “ballerina” or “ballet” jump by more than 1,000 percent from February to March. Searches for the two terms are also up 264 percent and 442 percent, respectively, year over year in March.
Drew Haines, StockX merchandising director for sneakers, said he typically sees huge spikes immediately after release dates before the volume dissipates. Dissipation, however, hasn’t been the story for the ballerina sneaker.
“I think this has some staying power,” Haines said. “Believe it or not, back to school isn’t too far away. And the holiday season, we’re already deep into here. I think these products could be some of the ones that you see as some of the top, top sellers during that time.”
When Bad Bunny began working on his latest collaborative model, he challenged the team at Adidas to create something that would speak more to his female fan base. “The King of Latin Trap” didn’t want something overtly girly either, and the Ballerina was able to strike that balance in its evolution from the Taekwondo martial arts shoe.
“With taekwondo, as a sport, there’s this feeling of dance that comes into it, where it’s not necessarily like choreographed in the way that like ballet or salsa or ballroom dancing is, but where there’s still that, like beautiful sense of motion to it,” said Claire Sterling, Adidas Originals senior footwear designer for Culture Collaborations and Partnerships.
A suede toe cover and heel come directly from the world of dancing, and a speed-lace toggle and gold “Benito” branding are flourishes for the Puerto Rican superstar. The shoe’s been given some updates to make it more wearable as well through added heel padding, removal of the elastic, a more comfortable lining and a new heel pull for easier on and off.
If 2025 is the year of the Ballerina for Bad Bunny, who’s already seen the sneaker release in three colorways, 2024 was all about the Gazelle. He released three colorways for that model, too, which has been one of the defining silhouettes of the thin-soled sneaker trend that’s now held strong for several years.
As the Adidas Samba became the catalyst for low-profile sneakers, ballet flats were simultaneously popping off in women’s footwear. Women were a major driver for the Samba and its ilk as well, setting up the two categories on a natural collision course.
Ballet flats have bridged a gap between corporate and casual, and even though flat sneakers skew more to the latter category, they can blend in with a variety of outfits better than bulkier go-to sneakers such as a retro runner or basketball model.
“I think the dad sneaker has been overdone a little bit,” Sterling said. “So I think people wanted a fresher look in something a little bit different, and that’s why they started gravitating back towards the ballet flats and Mary Janes and taking it to where you’re seeing now in the sneaker arena.”
As much as the Ballerina was oriented toward women, it’s also been a hit among men. Sterling said she’s seen a rough 50-50 split on men and women buying the sneaker, which was come as a welcomed surprise for her and the all-female design team that saw the Ballerina as a passion project.
Men being open to a ballet-inspired sneaker may be an even greater indicator of how much appetite there is for something different in footwear. A more open consumer is also leading to huge gains from players including Timberland, Birkenstock and Asics, as well as the embrace of other oddball sneaker mash-ups such as the “snoafer.”
It remains to be seen just how far the sneaker loafer will go, but the forecast is a bit more clear for ballerina sneaker. Sterling herself will admit that there’s more in the pipeline on that front from Adidas in 2025 and 2026, though she couldn’t go in more detail than that, and both her and Haines expect to see other brands to get involved.
Should, or when, they do, there’s a high degree of likelihood the ballerina sneakers will continue to riff retro models that have already gained favor. The formula in footwear is a lot like Hollywood for getting something new to stick: package it with something old.
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