16 Best Fancy Sneakers for Men 2026: 8 Designer Brands Worth the Price
With all due respect to your richest (possibly European) friends, most luxury kicks are irredeemably corny. These 16 are not.
If the idea of wearing one of the best fancy sneakers for men turns you off, we get it. Much of the market is still crying out for a design reset, and has become flooded with overhyped (and over-bulky) designs, covered in logos and jangling with tchotchkes.
But that’s exactly what sets the best luxury sneaker brands apart. While their peers chase viral moments and befuddling collaborations, these labels still focus on what made premium sneakers worth buying in the first place: thoughtful, elegant designs in elevated materials, that carry a sophistication above the level of everyday athletic styles, and will also last far, far longer.
There’s an added bonus to these sneakers’ simplicity: it makes them much easier to deploy. At the office, they’ll bring an energetic element to business-casual looks. But off duty, they’ll still buddy up well with denim, cargo pants, shorts, and pretty much anything else you’d wear on a weekend. (Some of them can even pair with truly smart looks—though if you’re thinking of pairing a suit with sneakers, do check out our advice on the subject.) Of course, elevated materials also means elevated pricing, but if you’re ready to invest, we’d recommend you do it with one of the eight designers below, all of whom have proven their worth and style chops, year after year.
The Best Fancy Sneakers for Men, According to GQ
The Best Classic
Maison Margiela Replica Sneaker
The Best New Classic
Dries van Noten Leather and Suede Sneakers
The Best for Deep-Pocketed Goths
Rick Owens Ramones Sneaker
The Best for Vintage Fiends
Visvim Skagway Sneaker
The Best Low-Profile
Bottega Veneta Orbit Ballet Sneaker
The Best Incredibly Low-Profile
Celine Leather-Trimmed Grosgrain Sneakers
The Best for Guys on the Go
On Cloudvista 3
Prada
While a lot of blue-chip designer labels are relatively new to the sneaker game, Prada has been consistently churning out winning sneaker styles—like the beloved Americas Cup—since the late 1990s. Its offering tends to be split into two halves; on one side are the clean, crisp, and minimally-styled shapes, on the other are the more progressive, trend-leading variations, for guys looking to flex a little harder.
Right now, the winners on that front are their Montecarlo, Collapse and Speedrock styles, which have both contributed to the overall slimming down of sneaker silhouettes that has taken root across menswear. Honestly, many Prada sneaker styles have created hordes of imitators at almost every price point. But if you can afford the original, look no further.
Prada
Speedrock Sneaker
Prada
Americas Cup Sneaker
Maison Margiela
Margiela’s Replica sneakers pretty much set the standard for a great designer sneaker. They’re distinctive but not flashy, simple but not boring. It’s also fairly likely that they’re already a part of your rotation. (If not, we’d recommend the classic leather style in a black or white—you’ll be surprised how much of your wardrobe they go with.)
But it’s worth giving some consideration to the brand’s wider assortment, too: Its more recent Sprinter model is a similarly canny update of a classic style, based on retro running shoes and remade in nylon, leather, and suede. Like the Replica, they look like the perfect pair of vintage sneaks you just happened to find after trawling Japanese resale sites for three hours. Only without all that hassle.
Maison Margiela
Replica Sneaker
Maison Margiela
Sprinters
Rick Owens
Rick Owens’ clothing might skew towards the avant-garde, but his sneaker offering sits firmly in the world of pared-back, grown-up simplicity. Essentially, the collection (as well as his estimable roster of collaborations with other footwear brands) is made up of adaptations of classic American sports sneakers, reimagined in premium materials. They’re distinguishable mainly by their monochrome palette, and exaggerated sole units.
Sure, you could wear them with Owens’ signature drop-crotch basketball shorts, and look pretty great doing so. But they’d look just as good with a pair of cargo pants, or even an oversized tailored trouser.
Rick Owens
Vintage Sneaks
Rick Owens
Ramones Sneaker
Dries Van Noten
One reason to be cheerful right now? Despite the departure of Dries van Noten from his namesake label, the collections still slap (phew!). The brand has long been a go-to for grown up menswear with a playful edge, and that ethos has continued into its current footwear offering. If there’s a sneaker that single-footedly defines the zeitgeist right now, it’s Dries’ slimline, low-soled suede laceups. A bit 70s, a bit 90s, extremely now.
Wear them with jeans, with cords, with shorts and socks, with a double-breasted suit. If you can lay your hands on a pair in your size, run, don’t walk. Just get them.
Dries van Noten
Leather and Suede Sneakers
Dries van Noten
Leather and Suede Sneakers
Visvim
Since the mid noughties, menswear geeks could be counted on to hyperventilate about one brand in particular: Visvim. Under the direction of Hiroki Nakamura, it has been steadily pumping out elevated versions of classic Americana staples for the last 25 years, becoming one of the OG brands for name-dropping on menswear forums. The good news is, it’s stayed independent, and not lost any of its magic.
Visvim’s aesthetic point of view extends just as much to its footwear, too: the brand’s leather-trimmed canvas sneakers are like the platonic ideal of a classic Chuck. No flash, no gimmicks: these are your favourite menswear guy’s favourite sneakers.
Visvim
Skagway Sneaker
Visvim
Nolan Suede-Trimmed Sneaker
Bottega Veneta
The last few creative directors of the Italian luxury house Bottega Veneta have blown its reputation as a purveyor of quietly polite menswear staples out of the water. It’s now indisputably one of the most watched brands in the industry, bringing nutso levels of craft to even the simplest of items.
Take these slip-on skate shoes. That’s not a print: they’re made using strips of contrast-colored leather, interwoven together in the brand’s “intrecciatio” style. Thankfully, that dedication to technique doesn’t overshadow the style of their footwear, which remains impressively clean, wearable, and contemporary. And this summer, no style showcases that better—or has been more successful—than the Orbit ballet sneaker.
Bottega Veneta
Orbit Ballet Sneaker
Bottega Veneta
Orbit Ballet Sneaker
Celine
For the true designer sneaker of the moment, we’d point you towards the American designer Michael Rider, who’s now in the second year at the helm of Celine. His run has been pretty near-faultless, helping to usher in the return of prep, but it’s the low balletic sneakers that are the brand's current must-have, worn by everyone from Harry Styles to Role Model.
Celine
Leather-Trimmed Grosgrain Sneakers
Celine
Leather-Trimmed Grosgrain Sneakers
On
On’s evolution is a pretty remarkable thing. While it’s still a mainstay in the athletic world (thanks, in no small part, to the involvement of its shareholder and ambassador, Roger Federer), the brand’s sneakers are now just as likely to appear in Davos or Aspen as they are on centre court. In short: In 2026, they’re beloved of tech bros and fitness fanatics alike.
While the Cloud 6 remains the go-to model, it’s worth looking at some of their lesser-known shapes. The Cloudvista, with its exciting colors and power sole, has a futuristic vibe, which means it’ll partner up well with cargo pants, utility shapes, and the like. (Though for a true lifestyle shoe, consider the brand's bouncy-soled, premium leather Roger sneaker also.)
On
Cloudvista 3
On
Cloud 6
Originally published by gq.com. Syndicated material does not necessarily reflect the views of Glamour Canada.
