Trainer Experts Told Me What Styles Will Dominate This Summer—I Was Genuinely Surprised

Trainers have always held a polarising place in fashion. The functional shoe first originated in sporting grounds and gym floors before crossing over into street style uniforms in the latter half of the 20th Century. Unlike other staples that are native to these environments—say leggings, crop tops and emotional support water bottles—trainers are unique in the sense that they have firmly shed this ancestry.

Now, the athletic style has become as commonplace as a pair of sturdy denim jeans or a button-down shirt. But with summer on the horizon, understanding what trainers best suit a season defined by warm weather and balmy temperatures is a different matter entirely. Though the decision to wear trainers is no longer questioned, what should be pondered is the type of trainers most appropriate for a season where bare feet and skin-baring silhouettes reign supreme. And this summer, this predicament is only compounded by the array of summer trainer trends currently proliferating the market.

It’s no longer a simple choice of pledging your allegiance to a specific brand and purchasing the style that speaks to you most. (No, the amount of underrated trainer brands that have reached cult status has made that a simply impossible proposition.) What’s more, trainers themselves have become subject to hybrid mania, meaning that anything from a mesh Mary Jane to a satin ballet flat can don a gum sole or pair of laces and be labelled as a trainer.

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More so, on the heels of quite luxury, pun intended, fashion has struck a mood of refined, luxurious and understated silhouettes that hit a nostalgic note. These styles aren’t explicitly discrete, but they’re certainly more pared-back compared to the chunky, dad-esque styles that dominated the latter half of the 2010s.

Speaking on these two major summer trainer trends, Rachel Makar, senior director of merchandising at StockX, tells me that “both directions are actually responding to the same underlying consumer desire—which is to wear something that feels intentional and a little unexpected.” Continuing, she explains that “these trends are really just different expressions of the same shift away from safe, predictable footwear.”

So, whether you know the latest designer sportswear collaboration to covet or are simply looking for something functional to pair with your cotton dresses and linen skirts this season, scroll through for the expert-approved summer trainer trends that’ll define 2026.

The 6 Biggest Summer Trainer Trends for 2026

1. Sheer Bliss

Style Notes: Consider this the trainer version of a cashmere sweater from Lisa Yang, a leather bag from The Row or a crisp white t-shirt from Leset, but mesh trainers are here to fill the stealth wealth gap you’ve been looking for in your footwear arsenal. With an incredibly sleek shape, these wispy trainers are ideal for summer weather, thanks to the airy and delicate sheer panels that allow for a lighter movement. London-based brand Dear Frances first pioneered the trend—and is now offering iterations trimmed with baby blue suede and buttery yellow nappa leather—with others swiftly following suit. Pair with satin shorts to silky tank tops to lean into the everyday opulence this style provides.