Fashion’s toe obsession has officially reached new heights.The split-toe trend that’s been quietly bubbling for years just hit the mainstream - proof: Lyst’s Q2 2025 Index ranks Vibram’s FiveFingers at number five. In a list that reflects what people are actually searching, saving, and (more importantly) buying, that’s no small feat.
It’s hardly a surprise when you zoom out. Fashion has been flirting with feet for a while now. There were the cult-classic Maison Margiela Tabi’s (first released in 1988, now basically a street style mainstay), the rise of toe-ring sandals, and the performance-meets-fashion Nike Air Rift, which split the big toe for running functionality long before the internet knew what a ‘tabi core’ girl was.
The five-toe shoe, often mocked for its anatomical oddness, has been around since 2006 - but like most things that start off niche or downright weird (see: Crocs, trail runners, Gorpcore), it just needed time. The Japanese split-toe socks laid the groundwork, and Balenciaga made its own high-fashion case for toe silhouettes in its AW20 Paris Fashion Week show. Still, the masses weren’t quite ready. Now, they are.
What was once a purely functional shoe for barefoot-style running or hiking is now cropping up in stylish corners of Instagram, editorial shoots, and IRL. And while at first I couldn’t get past the uncanny toe shape, I’ve started to come around. Blame it on clever styling: paired with loose tailoring, tube socks, or a miniskirt, the look is... actually cool? Plus, it also has the celebrity vote and has been seen on Doechii and BLACKPINK’S Jennie. Disruptive, yes. But that’s the point.
This is individualism in footwear form fashion’s answer to going against the grain. Shoutout to the ugly shoe theory - there’s something kind of genius about wearing a shoe that deliberately repels the mainstream while simultaneously being one of the most talked-about items on the internet. I used to scroll past. Now? I’m one shopping cart away from joining the toe cult.
SHOP: Vibram FiveFingers
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Renee Washington, Grazia's digital fashion and beauty writer, lives online. With a penchant for wispy lashes and streetwear, she writes about the worlds of fashion and beauty from the viewpoint of the modern fashion girlie..
Main image credit: @melissabon @leesoup_ @jayla myasia