The reason you’re seeing this controversial sandal everywhere

Once considered an ugly sandal, this time round the buzz around floaters seems real

If Cinderella was rewritten today, the glass slipper would find itself competing with footwear that’s more suited to a modern-day fairy tale. Top contenders would probably include Chloe’s pristine lace sneakers, Sophia Webster’s crystal-encrusted pool slides or a dreamy version of a sandal that we’ve been seeing everywhere lately.

Retro chic

Floaters, which are also referred to as dad sandals by the fashion world, are the shoes that many of us will recall begrudgingly buying when we had a trek around the corner–their sturdy soles are known to tackle uneven surfaces. Today, floaters are no longer the ugly sandals they once used to be. They've been given multiple makeovers and are steadily cementing their presence in the closets of fashion insiders as well as the collections of storied fashion houses. We decided to dig deeper and find the factors fuelling their popularity that’s unlikely to be short-lived this time around.

Several years ago, floaters had reared their arguably ugly heads but the buzz around them didn’t last long. The warm welcome they are receiving now, to a large extent, can be attributed to the pandemic’s lasting impact on our wardrobes. For many, the months spent at home greatly reduced their tolerance for discomfort and urged them to retire several fashion items. While some discarded clothes that clung to their skin, others set aside stilettos with narrow, pinching fronts. This was followed by a desire to dress up comfort and take it beyond the confines of one's home. The new fashion-forward iterations of floaters do exactly that. Not only are they high on comfort–floaters are airy, easy to put on and feature adjustable straps that increase their roominess when required–but they are also a far cry from their predecessors, which were defined by mundane materials and boring colours. “Every season, I am inspired to find new shapes and materials that I can use for my creations while sticking to the comfort that our brand is known for,” says Leslie Kouhana, the French designer who founded Arizona Love, a brand which brings detailing as diverse as bandana prints and pretty pearls to the simple sandal.

Reinventing fashion

But the shoe’s ubiquity can’t be credited to an intensified need to merge comfort and fashion alone. For a while now, luxury labels have been acutely aware that certain products will give them access to millennial and Gen Z shoppers, who now form a large portion of their customer base. It is this insight that has prompted hallowed fashion houses to snap up styles that have long lined the shelves of sportswear giants and give them fashion-forward facelifts. The evidence of this lies in the many sneakers that surround us and their evolution from part-time to permanent offerings.

History seems to be repeating itself with floaters. “We’re seeing a trickle-up effect. Just like sneakers, there are a lot of variations of floaters which are either chunkier or feature additional elements like more straps,” says celebrity stylist Isha Bhansali, leading us to the many heavyweight names that have been routinely reimagining the sandal. While Chanel is best-known for its timeless take featuring supple leather and logos, it also has other iterations made with mesh and its signature, sought-after tweed. For those who prefer a playful pair, there’s a Crayola-coloured version that comes courtesy of Loewe and another bearing bejewelled buckles by Roger Vivier. Want something more futuristic than fun? Balenciaga delivers a chunky, deconstructed sandal that draws from its Track.2 sneaker.

International brands aren't the only ones getting creative. Homegrown names are also serving up their twist on the trend. “We’ve put a spin on floaters that’s in line with our brand’s aesthetic by adding metal trims, pom-poms, tassels and laser-cut motifs. It was important to include these elements because they make floaters more wearable,” says Juveca Panda, founder of vegan footwear brand Misfit Panda, establishing a link between variety and versatility.

The abundance of options available to us today has increased the compatibility of floaters. While they are still frequently teamed with the likes of joggers and shorts, the more dressed-up variations are also at home with dresses, skirts and even suits. And these unconventional pairings have ultimately led to the inclusion of the shoe in certain occasions, where its presence would have otherwise been unimaginable. “I’ve seen our sandals being worn at black-tie events with evening gowns or cocktail dresses and I’ve also seen them being worn at a wedding by the bride,” adds Kouhana, highlighting that the sandal has a bright future and is definitely going places.

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