I never thought I'd say this, but the reign of the plain white sneaker seems to have ended. But at the risk of succumbing to hyperbole, I'm not telling anyone to throw away their white sneakers by any means. I certainly won't be. I'm only here to talk about the fact that they're not as "trendy" as they once were, as evidenced by the sneakers that fashion people are wearing now. White sneakers still serve their purpose in a wardrobe—they're simple, comfortable shoe that looks good with everything, including, dresses, denim, and sweats. They're as timeless as sneakers get, and images of Jane Birkin wearing white sneakers in the '70s are ingrained in my memory because of it.
So what is happening in the land of sneaker trends in 2022? I'd say that the overarching theme is that variety is the spice of life. Everyone isn't wearing the same exact sneakers, unlike during the dad sneaker era and the Adidas Stan Smith revival era. There are quite a lot of trends percolating, among them retro soccer sneakers, colorful kicks, and uber-sporty styles.
Read on to see the evidence of what sneakers fashion people are wearing, and shop the coolest pairs that fit the non–white sneaker bill.