It took Dries Van Noten almost 40 years to create a sneaker that the fashion world could not stop talking about. The Suede Sneaker, debuted in one of the Belgian designer's final collections, became the definitive post-Samba shoe, landing on the Lyst Index as one of the world's hottest products.
Now Julian Klausner, the new head of the house, has put his own spin on it. But rather than adding anything, he has taken almost everything away.
The new version strips the sidestripe, the T-shaped toebox detailing and the trimmed leather around the laces. What remains is calf suede and cotton laces. Nothing more. Priced at 75, it is as back-to-basics as an already basic sneaker can get.
But Klausner's instinct is sharp. Fashion is deep into a wave of ultra-refined footwear right now. Our Legacy's Sneak In keeps selling out. Y-3 and Wales Bonner are pushing low-cut minimalism. The market wants less, not more.
The original Suede Sneaker succeeded because it distilled modern taste into a single, unpretentious shape. This new version takes that principle to its logical conclusion: a shoe so quiet it barely speaks, yet somehow says everything about where fashion is headed in 2026.