7 Best Luxury Sneakers for Men: The Ultimate Footwear Status Symbol

From road run, fashion front row and boardroom, premium kicks have become the new foot fetish of our time. But are luxury sneakers priced at AUD $1,300 worth it? (Hint: yes)

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Somewhere, deep in the recesses of your mental hard drive, sits a moment when you were casually going about your business – sitting on public transport or in the airport lounge – and you spotted a well-dressed fella sporting a great suit, an on-trend watch, Tom Ford frames. And as you got down to his shoes, you stopped. He was wearing sneakers.

Ever since the original tech bro Steve Jobs and his iconic New Balance kicks permeated the culture, sneakers have become a fundamental style accessory for today’s rich and famous.

But high-end sneakers were a thing long before Jobs wore them on stage. From the Gucci Tennis shoe (1977) to the seminal Prada America’s Cup sneaker (1997), the world’s most famous high-end fashion brands have cared about sneaker culture – albeit from a different angle – for decades.

Today, premium brand sneakers are a mix of the best in technical materials and engineering, meeting fashion houses’ passion for styling and taste. Where once sneakers from fashion brands were imitative and derivative, today’s are anything but. Prada, LOEWE, Zegna, Bottega Veneta, Berluti et al want their products to be loved in their own right as the best sneakers in the world, not as a fast follower to traditional sneaker brands.

But luxury brands have needed to pick up the pace for a while. The likes of Hoka, On and others are showing up at fashion shows, in power meetings and taking over the culture. In order to play catch-up, the fashion houses had to get their technical credentials right, by taking a weapons-system approach, with talented engineers (not designers) driving materials science forward, and product managers (not brand managers) leading development. Chasing performance, not trends.

At a Glance: The Best Luxury Sneakers for Men (2026)

Sneaker	Best For	Key Technical Feature	Approx. Price (AUD)
Bottega Veneta Orbit	The Low-Key Traveller	Integrated Intrecciato metallic fishnet upper	$1,730
Loewe x On Cloudtilt	The Everyday Luxury Convert	CloudTec Phase® computer-optimised cushioning	$895
MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon XT-MM6	The Gorpcore Graduate	Salomon agileCHASSIS™ & Mud Contagrip® sole	$725
Zegna Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN	The Boardroom Commuter	Glove-soft SECONDSKIN calfskin & Strobel build	$2,380
Berluti Shadow	The Patina Purist	Lightweight stretch-knit nylon with Venezia leather	$2,170
Prada Re-Nylon Macro	The Sustainable Tech Buyer	Econyl® Re-Nylon with a chunky macro wedge sole	$1,540
Brunello Cucinelli Knit Runner	The Quiet Luxury Holdout	Ultra-lightweight stretch chiné cotton knit	$1,880

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More Science, Less Signalling: The Tech Powering Luxury Sneakers

The creative friction at work is simple and eternal: style vs performance. Remember that Prada America’s Cup sneaker we mentioned earlier? That was the moment that led us to the present day. Patrizio Bertelli – Miuccia Prada’s husband and Prada Group chairman, also an avid sailor – pulled in Argentine yacht designer Germán Frers to design a yacht for the 2000 America’s Cup. From that came the Luna Rossa sailing team, and of course, that team needed kit.

By summer 1997 Prada had designed a sneaker for the crew: breathable technical mesh, soft leather overlays, oversized rubber sole. It debuted at retail in Spring/Summer 1999 and Luna Rossa wore them at the 2000 Cup. It was a hit, reminding consumers that Prada has been making technical footwear longer than half the streetwear brands selling “performance” hybrids today.

Bertelli still works actively with the shoe, expanding the collaboration ecosystem to become not just a Prada shoe that you kick around in, but the best sailing sneaker in the world.

Take some of these recent examples to prove the point: Bottega Veneta’s Orbit runner uses a lightweight technical fabric overlaid with metallic mesh, a subtle but beautiful homage to the house’s intrecciato weave – a Y2K runner silhouette, but the engineering is contemporary. Berluti – known for its leather legacy – uses an agile, lighter iteration of its knit-upper Shadow, proving you can make a runner out of patinated knit without it feeling desperate.

And those collabs are really where the engineering takes the fore. Loewe x On’s Cloudtilt is built on On’s impressive full performance stack – Missiongrip rubber outsole, the hidden Speedboard, the same CloudTec midsole geometry that makes a regular Cloudtilt one of On’s most-recommended all-day sneakers. MM6 Maison Margiela’s XT-MM6, refreshed for late 2025, retains Salomon’s agileCHASSIS, EnergyCell midsole and Contagrip outsole – meaning the shoe under the Margiela tag can actually run a wet trail and serves as a perfect travel shoe.

Are Luxury Sneakers Worth the Price Tag?

But this isn’t just about jacking up the price of sneakers. Take a pair of typical Loewe leather sneakers; ones that will run you north of AUD $1,300. Now take the Loewe x On Cloudtilt drops that have retailed around AUD $895 – still a pretty penny, but one that buys a premium brand and tech you’d accept on a stand-alone running shoe.

Lyst’s Q2 2023 Index reported that the Loewe x On Cloudtilt 2.0 drove a 308% spike in searches for On after release. That’s moves the collab beyond just a flashy one-off fashion moment, and turns it into a customer-acquisition event for both brands.

The price floor of luxury footwear is being rebuilt around AUD $800–AUD $1,150, and the use-case is being rebuilt around daily wear. Aspirational buyers seek scarcity experiences like capsule drops, numbered editions and retailer exclusives, married with high-performance.

The world of luxury sneakers has evolved to produce the best of and functionality and style, taking elements of both to create shoes that fit into how we live – a rare moment in the world of high-end fashion, where it really is more about substance than style

7 Best Luxury Sneakers for Men in 2026

1. Bottega Veneta Orbit

Who it’s for: The traveller who wants house design over collab branding. Lightweight technical fabric and metallic mesh, with light intrecciato references baked discretely into the overlays. The cleanest expression of a luxury house designing in performance vocabulary without borrowing anyone else’s tech.

Bottega Veneta Orbit Key Specs

• Model: Bottega Veneta Orbit
• Colourway: Fondant / Silver (Also available in Mud / White, Dark Green, Cruise / Mist)
• Price: USD $1,150 (approx. AUD $1,730)
• Upper: Lightweight technical fabric and metallic fishnet mesh
• Construction: Classic low-top athletic runner layout with discrete, baked-in Intrecciato woven structural reference lines
• Midsole: Ergonomic performance-moulded foam
• Outsole: Wave-grooved grip rubber
• Branding: Discrete internal house naming, clean logo-less outer presentation

2. Loewe x On Cloudtilt

Who it’s for: The convert. Probably a buyer pricing luxury sneakers for the first time and someone who realises these are the kicks that broke the category open. Missiongrip outsole, Speedboard underfoot, multi-layer performance-mesh upper, retailing around AUD $895. Pastel and earth-tone colourways drop in rolling chapters; the latest Cloudtilt Hi adds a high-top silhouette to the line.

Loewe x On Cloudtilt Key Specs

• Model: Loewe x On Cloudtilt (and Cloudtilt Hi)
• Colourway: Rolling seasonal chapters (All Black, All White, Khaki Green, Desert, Pastel Pinks)
• Price: AUD $895 (approx. USD $600)
• Upper: Multi-layer technical performance mesh
• Construction: Precision sock-fit slip-on with speed-lacing system; High-top variant features an extended ankle collar
• Midsole: CloudTec Phase® computer-optimised cushioning with integrated Speedboard® technology
• Outsole: Missiongrip™ high-traction rubber
• Branding: Loewe Anagram logo paired with On running branding on the lateral walls and tongue

3. MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon XT-MM6

Who it’s for: The Gorpcore graduate. Salomon’s agileCHASSIS, EnergyCell midsole, Contagrip outsole and Ortholite footbed – wrapped in MM6’s deconstructed, panelled treatment. Functional enough for an actual wet trail, weird enough to wear with tailoring.


MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon XT-MM6 Key Specs

• Model: MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon XT-MM6
• Colourway: Black / Silver / Phantom
• Price: AUD $725 (approx. USD $485)
• Upper: Deconstructed, panelled synthetic and tight-weave anti-debris mesh
• Construction: Quicklace™ minimalist single-pull tightening system with custom collaborative upper overlay shielding
• Midsole: EnergyCell high-rebound compound built on Salomon’s stabilising agileCHASSIS™ system
• Outsole: Mud Contagrip® deep-lug rubber geometry
• Branding: MM6 signature white stitch motif, Margiela numeric grid on the tongue, Salomon tech decals

4. Zegna Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN

Who it’s for: The board-meeting commuter. The slip-on that proves the soft-luxury argument. Crossed elastics, glove-soft SECONDSKIN calfskin, white rubber sole, Strobel construction, made in Italy. Not technical in the trail sense – technical in the materials-science sense. Prego!


Zegna Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN Key Specs

• Model: Zegna Triple Stitch SECONDSKIN
• Colourway: Dark Foliage (Also available in Black, Dark Brown, Light Taupe, Light Grey)
• Price: USD $1,590 (approx. AUD $2,380)
• Upper: Glove-soft SECONDSKIN calfskin leather
• Construction: Flexible Strobel construction with iconic triple crossed elastics replacing traditional laces
• Midsole: Ultra-lightweight shock-absorbing composite frame
• Outsole: Lightweight white rubber cupsole
• Branding: Hand-stitched triple cross details, subtle embossed Zegna foil logo on the heel tab

5. Berluti Shadow

Who it’s for: The patina obsessive. Berluti’s knit-upper runner in its new lighter spec. House-signature Venezia leather meets a contemporary sock-fit silhouette. Develops character with wear, which most performance sneakers don’t.

Berluti Shadow Key Specs

• Model: Berluti Shadow Knit Sneaker
• Colourway: White / Venezia Leather Accent (Also available in Salvia, Citrus Green, Marine)
• Price: AUD $2,170 (approx. USD $1,450)
• Upper: Lightweight stretch-knit nylon
• Construction: Contemporary sock-fit low profile with structural leather overlay cage
• Midsole: Streamlined, multi-layered performance running platform
• Outsole: Geometric dual-tone rubber outsole
• Branding: House-signature Venezia leather patina details on the pull tab and side stabilisers

6. Prada Re-Nylon Macro

Who it’s for: The buyer who wants sustainability credentials with the tech. Built on Prada’s regenerated nylon programme, a classic material in its own right, rocking the design language Prada has been refining since the late-’90s Luna Rossa years. Heritage tech, modern materials story. Classic.

Prada Re-Nylon Macro Key Specs

• Model: Prada Collapse Re-Nylon and Suede Sneakers
• Colourway: Black (Also available in White, Lime Green, Burgundy)
• Price: AUD $1,540 (approx. USD $1,030)
• Upper: Regenerated Econyl® Re-Nylon with premium suede overlays
• Construction: Elasticised toggle-lace closure system drawing from late-’90s Luna Rossa athletic heritage
• Midsole: Chunky, macro-proportioned lightweight polyurethane wedge
• Outsole: Textured rubber geometric shell
• Branding: Iconic enamel Prada triangle logo on the quarter panel, raised rubber branding on the tongue

7. Brunello Cucinelli Knit Runner

Who it’s for: The quiet-luxury holdout. No logo, no collab co-sign, no statement—just an exceptional knit upper on a clean profile. The pair you wear when you want the shoe to disappear and the rest of the outfit to speak. Restraint? It’s making a comeback.

Brunello Cucinelli Knit Runner Key Specs

• Model: Brunello Cucinelli Cotton Chiné Knit Runner
• Colourway: Panama (Also available in Grey, Blue, Olive)
• Price: USD $1,255 / AUD $1,250 (Note: Region-specific pricing varies across stockists)
• Upper: Ultra-lightweight stretch chiné cotton knit with engineered micro-perforations on the toe box
• Construction: Clean-profile, unlined low-top runner with tonal sport laces and semi-polished calfskin trim
• Midsole: High-density, minimalist EVA foam cushioning
• Outsole: Lightweight TPU tread with subtle geometric grip pattern
• Branding: Completely logo-less outer construction (“Quiet Luxury” aesthetic)

Luxury Sneakers with Tailoring: The New Smart Casual Rules

Your intuition is probably to use these sneakers like, well, sneakers. Sneakers you’d wear to the gym and activity-driven occasions. Don’t. The whole point of the category is that it sits one notch up from sportswear, and the styling needs to acknowledge that.

The rules are simple:

• Crop or cuff your trousers – a half-break at most.
• Lean into unstructured tailoring (a deconstructed blazer in flannel, hopsack or cotton-linen) rather than sharp city suiting; the silhouettes need to soften to match the shoe.
• Keep the sock minimal or even better, invisible.
• Let the shoe carry colour or texture – a saturated mesh, a tonal knit, a hint of metallic overlay – while everything else stays restrained.

For travel: Pleated wool trousers, a fine merino crewneck, an overshirt, a Cloudtilt or an XT-MM6. That’s the business-class lounge fit, end-to-end.

For an actual meeting: SECONDSKIN slip-on, charcoal trouser, knit polo or a softly tailored shirt, navy unstructured jacket. The new professional uniform isn’t a sneaker awkwardly bolted to a suit. It’s a suit redesigned around the sneaker.