Feline good: why kitten heel flip-flops are winning over flats-only gen Z | Fashion

Generation Z, who lived only in flat shoes, eventually succumbed to heels, albeit small ones. Long anti-heels, this group, born between 1997 and 2012, has abandoned the millennial obsession with Jimmy Choos in favor of flats, from the Adidas Samba “It-trainer” to the cleft-toe Margiela Tabi. “French girl ballet shoes”.

But now they appear to be embracing a potential gateway heel, typically measured at 1.5 inches (3.8cm) or triple-A battery height.

The kitten-heeled slippers have been seen on the feet of trendsetters Hailey Bieber and model Kaia Gerber, and have been featured on countless styles. TikTok “eligibility checks”; A street style favorite, the shoe has become a way to reflect the slinky ’90s style this summer.

He also became the heel of choice for viewers in the Wimbledon crowd as well as contestants in the Love Island villa. Emily in Paris star Lily Collins dressed up her black Manolo Blahnik pair with a white bandeau and capris to watch the men’s final last week, while several of the ITV show’s islanders also sported the shoes as they wooed potential love interests for fireside chats.

John Lewis says sales of kitten heels – which feature a strap between the toe and the neighbor – are up 300% on the high street compared to last year, and £109 thong sandals are also selling on the high street. Collection with Rejina Pyo “sold out very quickly”.

Searches for kitten-heeled slippers on resale app Depop have increased by 260% since April, as luxury fashion brands such as Chloé, Bottega Veneta and Max Mara send them down the catwalks; There was a 209% increase in Vinted on an annual basis. Meanwhile, fashion search platform Lyst reported a similar 202% increase in demand quarter-over-quarter.

So why is the renovation of the humble flip-flop convincing Gen Z to finally step into heels?

Natalie Munro, a news writer at digital fashion publication Who What Wear, says the appeal lies in the fact that the heel doesn’t feel like it: “It still has a casual energy…so it’s not a terribly scary heel to wear.”

Part of this is of course its small height. In-demand versions from brands like Toteme, Miu Miu, Zara and Vivaia measure between 1.5 inches and 2.1 inches, offering minimal lift; The perfect beginner heels for a generation more accustomed to “touching grass” than wearing stilettos.

Kitten-heeled flip-flops can withstand the mileage of your morning commute while also keeping you from slipping out at night. “In many cases, it’s a suitable shoe to wear to work and in the evenings as well,” says Munro. “Obviously it’s very suitable for a heat wave.”

High heels were much more common in the 20s. “Millennials were always wearing heels,” says Munro. “They were a very useful shoe for the office, for the club.” However, for Generation Z, whose coming-of-age coincided with the rise of comfort-first dressing during the pandemic, “flats have become the starting point for many things.” [their] relationship with shoe trends”.

Caroline Young, author of fashion and pop culture books including Style Tribes: The Fashion of Subcultures, thinks young people have a different understanding of heel height and femininity. “Cat heels sit comfortably between heels and flats and were once considered a somewhat outdated and outdated shoe. [not] While conveying the sexual power of a stiletto, he says that the focus now is “being able to move easily” and continues: “Comfort has always been important for Generation Z. [more] important.”

According to Rebecca Shawcross, senior curator of footwear at the Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and author of Shoes: An Illustrated History, “stilettos have been worn as power shoes for many years, but these days I think the power lies with women who choose comfort over discomfort and activity over the inability to run.”

This is also a reaction to an era that advocated the types of shoes you could climb mountains with. “Since the pandemic, orthopedic, gorpcore-coded shoes have dominated,” says British Vogue shopping editor Joy Montgomery. “I think there’s a renewed desire to show off in our wardrobe.”

Munro says the trend reflects a more general flip-flop revival. The rebranding of the chunky rubber sandal is credited to American luxury fashion brand The Row. which triggered outrage when it announced its eye-catching rubber-soled $750 (£560) iteration.

The question now is whether kitten-heeled flip-flops can be a gateway to high heels for Gen Z. Shawcross points out that kitten heels, popular in the 1780s-90s, were a transitional heel in the past. “They were known as Italian heels,” he says, “and marked the transition from very high-heeled buckled women’s shoes to the flat-soled shoes that characterized women’s shoes in the early 1800s.”

Munro thinks change is now possible, with wedges already making a comeback. He says this “could be an indication that we’re starting to move back into the high heel era.”