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Dad Shoe Debates was set up by Dad Shoe Deals to get to the bottom of the biggest debates about dad shoes. Our goal is to debate questions like “Are dad shoes cool?” and come up with definitive answers after carefully considering each side’s arguments.
Up for Debate
- “Are dad shoes cool?” is a question that’s asked early and often when people discuss dad sneakers.
- Some people say, “Yes, dad shoes are cool,” and cite dad sneakers like the Nike Air Monarch IV, the New Balance 574, and the Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 as examples.
- Other people say, “No, dad shoes are not cool,” and claim their chunky soles and neutral colors deter them from wearing dad sneakers.
Setting the Stage for the “Are Dad Sneakers Cool?” Debate
Google “are dad shoes…” and you’ll see quite a few potential adjectives pop up. “Are dad shoes comfortable?” and “Are dad shoes popular?” are just a couple of the most commonly Googled questions about dad sneakers.
Still, “Are dad shoes cool?” is the one that lands on top. Dad sneakers haven’t always had the best reputation among shoe enthusiasts, so their “coolness” is called into question time and again.
So, are dad shoes cool? The answer is obviously subjective, which explains why this question is searched for so often on Google. But that hasn’t stopped those who both love and hate dad sneakers from chiming in and sharing their polarizing thoughts.
For the first of our Dad Shoe Debates, we’re prepared to make cases both for and against dad shoes being cool. Then, we’ll share which side of the fence we fall on in an effort to end this ongoing debate once and for all.
7 Reasons Why Dad Shoes Are Cool
Less than a decade ago, many people would have laughed off the question, “Are dad shoes cool?” Most sneakerheads considered dad sneakers inherently uncool.
But a funny thing happened in 2017: Modernized takes on dad shoes, such as the Adidas Yeezy Boost 700 and the Balenciaga Triple S, cast them in a new light.
The GQs and Esquires of the world started singing their praises — and dad sneakers were suddenly cool. They’ve never really gone away since.
Let’s begin by discussing why dad shoes are cool in the eyes of so many people.
1. They’re Conceived, Designed, and Manufactured by the Best Sneaker Brands in the Business
Take a look at all the dad shoes available at Amazon right now, and you’ll no doubt notice some from sneaker brands you’re not super familiar with.
These brands include:
If these were the only brands conceiving, designing, and manufacturing dad shoes, these sneakers probably would have been little more than a fad that died out years ago.
However, many of the most popular dad shoe brands are also among the most popular sneaker brands overall. Companies like Nike, with the Nike Air Monarch IV, and New Balance, with the New Balance 9060, have invested heavily in dad shoes.
Other examples include:
These sneaker brands have all poured valuable resources into pushing the dad shoe craze forward.
2. They’re Created by Some of the Top Designers in the Sneaker Industry
Dad shoe designs are often basic by design. If you look through the 50 best dad shoes of all time, you will see that, save for a few prominent examples, the majority of these sneakers have simple, straightforward designs that mostly stick to the script.
That said, you shouldn’t let the simplicity of dad sneakers fool you. Creative geniuses designed most of your favorite dad shoes.
Some of the best dad shoe designers also land on lists of the best sneaker designers overall, including names like:
- Jason Mayden (designed the Nike Air Monarch IV)
- Steven Smith (designed the New Balance 574, among other NB classics, and the Adidas Yeezy Boost 700, with help from Kanye West)
- Paul Brown (designed the Reebok Classic Leather)
- Toshikazu Kayano (designed the Asics GEL-Kayano through the 13th iteration)
- James Lee and Yue Wu (designed the New Balance 9060)
3. They’re Built to Be Comfortable and Supportive
A few years ago, Barstool Sports personality Dan “Big Cat” Katz randomly started wearing Nike Air Monarch IV dad shoes during podcasts. Initially, it seemed he was just doing a bit, not turning a corner and adopting dad sneakers as his new preferred footwear.
But, he quickly learned what millions of other people have discovered since the dad shoe’s initial release in 2009 — that the Monarch IV is one of the comfiest sneakers in the Nike collection. He would later say that these iconic dad shoes made it feel like he was sticking his feet into Cadillacs:
This is one of the more underrated answers to the question, “Are dad shoes cool?” If by cool, you mean comfortable, then the answer is just about always a resounding “YES!”
4. They’re Available in a Wide Range of Colorways
When you picture a pair of dad shoes in your head, what color do you imagine them being? Neutral colors — white, black, and gray — have long been dad sneaker staples.
But these are far from the only colors used to cover dad shoes.
Let’s use the New Balance 9060 as an example. You can find it in different combinations of white, black, and gray.
You can also hunt down the 9060 in a huge assortment of other colorways, such as:
- New Balance 9060 “Beige/Pink/Beige”
- New Balance 9060 “Sweetgrass/Deep Ocean/Silver Metallic”
- New Balance 9060 “Light Grey/Deep Ocean”
- New Balance 9060 “Dark Alpine Green/Frosted Glass”
- New Balance 9060 “Pink Suede/Blue/Yellow”
Even a classic dad shoe like the Nike Air Monarch IV is now available in a long list of colorways, with some being rarer than others.
5. They’re Relatively Easy to Style
The late Steve Jobs devoted most of his time to developing life-changing technology for Apple. This left him with little time to worry about other aspects of his life, including what he would wear every day.
The Apple co-founder sidestepped this issue by wearing a “uniform” that included a black turtleneck and jeans. He also stuck to wearing the same sneakers — a pair of New Balance 990, 991, or 992 dad shoes — showcasing the versatility of these particular silhouettes.
Some of the brighter-colored New Balance 9060s mentioned above might not offer the versatility people want. But generally speaking, most dad shoes will complement just about anything you wear with them. They don’t typically take much effort to style.
6. They’re Co-Signed by Musicians, Athletes, Actors and Actresses, Influencers, and Other Celebrities
If the answer to the question, “Are dad shoes cool?” was “no,” do you think so many celebrities would wear them? Doubtful.
We credited these 50 A-list celebrities with helping to solidify the coolness of dad shoes over the last decade. Some of the most notable names on this list are:
- Adele
- ASAP Rocky
- Justin Bieber
- Drake
- Selena Gomez
- LeBron James
- Kendall and Kylie Jenner
- Kim Kardashian
- President Barack Obama
- Emily Ratajkowski
- Rihanna
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Taylor Swift
7. They’re Nostalgic (Even When They Aren’t All That Old!)
Up to 80% of Americans admit to feeling nostalgic regularly. Not surprisingly, dad shoe brands have worked hard to capitalize on nostalgia, which has become a normal part of everyday life for many people.
In most cases, it’s easy to do this, since many of the best dad shoes ever released were introduced years, and sometimes even decades, ago. For instance, the New Balance 990 was the first dad shoe, dating back to 1982, so every iteration of the 990 released after that has been organically nostalgic.
Dad shoe brands have also sought to make many of their newer dad shoes nostalgic, too. Just check out these dad sneakers that look like they could have been released a long time ago, even though they’re not that old:
- Fila Disruptor II (released in 2018)
- Nike P-6000 (released in 2019)
- Adidas Response CL (released in 2020)
- Nike V2K Run (released in 2023)
- Jordan Trunner O/S (released in 2025)
Even the New Balance 9060, released in 2022, has been described as “retrofuturism done right” by sneaker experts. It perfectly balances the new with the old, resulting in a dad shoe that would have looked right at home in any era.
3 Reasons Why Dad Shoes Are Not Cool
Making a case for the answer to the question “Are dad shoes cool?” being “yes” isn’t all that challenging. Dad sneakers have come a long way over the last 10 years, arguably making them cooler than ever before.
However, not everyone agrees that dad shoes are cool. Here are a few arguments against wearing them.
1. They’re Big, Bulky, and BORRRRRRRING
You won’t find the word “subtle” used in the reviews for very many dad shoes. These shoes are about as subtle as sledgehammers in many instances due to their big, bulky designs.
Most dad sneaker brands have worked hard to address this potential problem by using brighter colors and more complex designs. They help take the spotlight off the chunkiness of dad shoes, allowing them to breathe a bit more and look more stylish.
Still, not all brands are successful at injecting style into their dad shoes. As a result, some lack coolness because they’re too boring to stand out.
2. They’re a Little Too Readily Available
The availability of dad shoes is one of their strong suits. Unlike Air Jordans and other popular sneakers, you shouldn’t have too much trouble tracking down dad shoes, even when they’re highly sought-after.
Not everyone sees this as a good thing, though. Since dad shoes are so readily available, some people consider them too mainstream and thereby not cool.
You can get around this by shopping for hard-to-find dad sneakers through some of the best places to buy dad shoes. But this could cost you a pretty penny and keep you from enjoying the affordability of dad shoes, which is another one of their many benefits.
3. They’re an Admission That Dads Might Not Be as Dorky as Everyone Thinks
I’m not particularly cool in the eyes of my teenager. If she spots me wearing a pair of dad shoes that she likes, the closest thing I might get to a compliment is, “Those actually aren’t terrible!”
Ultimately, this could be why dad shoes remain decidedly uncool in the minds of many, especially those in Generation Z. Getting over the hurdle of giving dads credit for being even remotely cool might be too much for younger people to handle.
Ending the “Are Dad Shoes Cool?” Debate
We suspect the “Are dad shoes cool?” debate might not ever officially end. Some dad sneakers are simply too polarizing for everyone to agree on whether they deserve to be called “cool.”
At the same time, dad shoes have evolved mightily since their introduction in the early 1980s and earned their rightful place in the sneaker industry. They have successfully shed the “uncool” stigma they carried for so long.
The 10 Coolest Dad Shoes You Can Buy Right Now
If you’re someone who answers the question, “Are dad shoes cool?” with an emphatic “yes!” you might already have a running list of your favorite dad sneakers. But if you’re just coming around to the idea of considering them cool, you might not know which ones to wear first.
Here are the 10 coolest dad shoes you can buy right now:
- Nike Air Monarch IV “Dark Smoke Grey/Black/Picante Red”
- New Balance 574 Vulc “Incense/Black”
- Adidas ZX22 Boost “Grey Two/Grey Two/Cream White”
- Asics GEL-DS Trainer 14 “White/Port Royal”
- Brooks Ghost 17 “Oyster Mushroom/Orange/Ebony”
- Puma RS-X Hard Drive “High Rise/Yellow Alert”
- Saucony Ride Millennium “White/Mutant”
- Hoka Clifton 10 “Black/Gold”
- K-Swiss Shadx “White/Grey/Black”
- Jordan Trunner O/S “Black/Neutral Grey/Mint Foam/Green Glow”
So, where do you stand on dad sneakers? Are dad shoes cool — or do you want to see them shoved into the back of people’s closets soon?
Check out more Dad Shoe Debates here. We also welcome you to shop for the latest dad shoe deals on our Dad Shoe Discounts page and learn more about dad shoes by taking our Dad Shoe 101 class.
FAQs About Dad Shoes and Their Coolness
What Makes Dad Shoes Cool?
The “ugly-cool” aesthetic of dad shoes, coupled with their comfort and affordability, are just a few factors that make them cool. The nostalgia associated with so many dad shoes also plays a big part in their coolness and popularity.
What Are the Coolest Dad Shoes?
The coolest dad shoes are the Nike Air Monarch IV, New Balance 574, Reebok Classic Leather, Asics GEL-Kayano 14, and Adidas Yeezy Boost 700, just to name a few. Dad sneakers from brands like Brooks, Hoka, Saucony, Skechers, and Under Armour are often considered cool, too.
When Did Dad Shoes Become Popular?
Dad shoes became popular in 2017, following the releases of the Adidas Yeezy Boost IV “Wave Runner” and the Balenciaga Triple S. While plenty of dad sneakers had been released long before then, these shoes helped elevate the category and prompted many brands to rethink their approach to designing them.
Why Is Gen Z Wearing Dad Shoes?
Gen Z is wearing dad shoes for many different reasons. Some Gen Zers wear them ironically, while others appreciate the nostalgia associated with putting them on. Gen Zers also turn to dad sneakers for comfort, versatility, and accessibility. It all depends on which Gen Zers you ask.
Are Dad Shoes Still in Style?
Yes, dad shoes are still in style. However, the dad sneakers that were popular a few years ago aren’t always the same ones that are popular today. People seem to be gravitating towards sleeker, slimmer dad shoe designs over their chunkier options.