In recent years, Frye’s Campus and Harness boots and Steve Madden’s buckle boots have seen a wave of virality among the cohort. Frye initially had trouble keeping up with the exceptionally strong demand for the Campus boot when Gen Z came to buy in droves, around 2024. The brand is still seeing double-digit growth even as dupes of the style flood the market, said Christina Martin Pieper, executive vice president of lifestyle at Frye-owner Authentic Brands Group.
Even in late July, Steve Madden’s SoHo store gives a lug-soled boot black, not a sandal, the prime position in its window display.
For power users, boots have taken the place of sneakers, and represent both a shift in the trend cycle and a generational casting away of the Stan Smiths, Super Stars, and Jordans that dominated everyday style in the 2010s.
Video: Monica Ibarra in Paris by @ootd / ootd.com
Video: Lana Seoud in Paris by @ootd / ootd.com
“In the past year, I haven’t touched sneakers once,” said college student Theodora Tertiropoulos, wearing tan leather boots and a slip skirt in SoHo.
Celebrities are propping up the trend, too. Freshly back in the city after her Italian honeymoon, Dua Lipa opted for biker boots accompanied by lightwash denim one day, and with a dress and bandana the next. Olivia Rodrigo is another big proponent, styling boots with a grungy twist, including paired with her discourse-starting baby doll dress. It’s on the runway, too: worn-in worker boots were shown alongside sandals at Miu Miu’s Spring 2026 show, for example.
The paradox in wearing a heavy boot in the heat is part of the appeal.
Video: Lea in Paris by @ootd / ootd.com
“It’s a nice contrast to have the lightest summer dress and boots,” said Monica Ibarra, a 22-year-old Paris-based content creator.
