Men's Lifestyle March 27, 2026 0 Comments

Unlock the Power Moves: 5 Sneaker Brands Top Athletes Swear By That You’ve Never Heard Of—Until Now!

Ever find yourself staring down a pair of sneakers thinking, “Is this really it?” Maybe the thrill of snagging those hyped-up kicks has fizzled out, or perhaps you got sidetracked by the siren call of loafers—yep, the capital-P “proper” kind that all the cool kids are slipping into these days. Sound familiar? Honestly, I’ve been there too, caught in the sneaker slog where every release feels like déjà vu. But here’s the kicker: Sneakers aren’t just shoes—they’re essential wardrobe lifelines. Skipping out on them for too long? That’s like benching your best workout move. Luckily, stepping off the beaten path and diving into the world of under-the-radar sneaker brands can reignite that passion, turning your collection from snooze-worthy to seriously exciting. Ready to shake things up? Let’s walk through six fresh sneaker brands that are rewriting the playbook right now.

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If you’ve been feeling a little burnt out when it comes to sneakers recently, we get it. Maybe chasing hyped releases from the big guys lost its luster. Maybe you wanted something more capital-P “proper” and, like a bunch of cool kids the world over, decided to step into a pair of loafers instead. Maybe you just got bored with what you were seeing online or at your go-to shops. Whatever your reason for losing your sneaker momentum, you would find sympathetic ears over here at the Esquire offices.

But the fact of the matter remains: Sneakers are essential. Fundamental. Every wardrobe deserves at least one good pair—and probably a few more after that. And while there are plenty of options out there from the household names, we’ve found that one of the very best ways to escape the sneaker doldrums is to start exploring and acquaint yourself with the upstarts and unsung heroes you may have overlooked in the past. These are the brands taking risks, mixing it up, and making the sneaker world feel downright exciting again.

So, without further ado, here are six of them that we can’t get enough of right now.

Tarvas

We tend to think of massive scale when we think of sneaker production—thousands upon thousands of shoes being made in enormous, high-tech facilities. Tarvas started out about as far from that as possible, in a small basement workshop in Helsinki, Finland. It was there that the founders tinkered with prototypes until, in 2017, they were ready to launch a line of footwear that blended outdoors functionality with streamlined Nordic design.

The formula was a success. The brand has collaborated with in-the-know labels like Engineered Garments, is sold at cool-guy shops like CHCM and Haven, and even teamed up with the style newsletter Blackbird Spyplane on a pair of sneakers. The brand now has four styles in its lineup: the robust Easy Hiker, the low-profile Wanderer, the unassumingly stylish Explorer, and the freaked-out Forest Bather. You can’t go wrong with any of them.

Village PM

The brainchild of co-founders Basile Lapray and Bram De Cleen, Parisian brand Village PM was founded in 2024 but has absolutely blown up this year thanks to its progressive take on skate shoes. Hold on. Skate shoes? Yeah, that’s what we thought to when we first saw the signature 1pm low top, which looks a whole lot more like a shoe you’d wear on a craggy rock face than one you’d pull on before dropping into a halfpipe.

That’s the point, of course. Reimagining what a skate shoe could and should be, Lapray and De Cleen took their cues from the climbing world, even down to using sticky climbing rubber for the rand that wraps around the forefoot. Add asymmetrical lacing and a pair of pull tabs at the back, and you’ve got a sneaker that looks genuinely unique. And when you throw some very nice pricing into the mix—$99 to $130 for low tops, $145 for mids—it’s not hard to see why these sneakers are constantly selling out.

MoonStar

If you’re into classic canvas kicks but don’t want to blend into the sea of dudes wearing Converse and Vans, MoonStar might be just what you’re looking for. The Japanese brand isn’t new by any means. In fact, it traces its history all the way back to 1873, when it first started making cloth footwear in the city of Karume, on Japan’s southern Kyushu island. Vulcanized rubber soles followed not long after, and the brand eventually shifted into making footwear inspired by early Western sneakers.

Nowadays, it’s still chugging along, making everything from canvas low tops to all-weather high-tops with chunky toes and rubber-coated canvas. The split-toe Jakitabi may not be for everyone—though we’re sure fashion fans will love it—but something like the Gym Classic? You just can’t miss.

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Merrell 1TRL

Merrell

If you’ve ever even glanced at a hiking trail, you know Merrell. The 45-year-old brand has been doing high-performance outdoor shoes since well before anyone ever thought to add “core” to the end of the acronym for “Good Old Raisins and Peanuts.” What you may have missed, though, is the brand’s relatively new, fashion-forward imprint.

Dubbed 1TRL, the collection isn’t huge. This spring’s offering, for instance, spans just eight styles. But it’s still enough to sink your teeth into. You could opt for remixed classics, like riffs on the Hydro Moc or Moab 2 hiker. Or you could get a little more futuristic with something like the MTL Adapt Matryx. There’s even the low-profile Relay Web, which looks like it could have walked off the runway. The choice is yours.

Stepney Workers Club

Roger Pereira and Simon See founded Stepney Workers Club in East London in 2018. The inspiration, according to the founders, was the inclusive nature of the original Stepney Workers Sports Club, which was involved in sports (naturally) but also the local community and, in the ‘20s and ‘30s, anti-war and anti-fascist activism. The hand-made graphics the members created also informed the brand’s visual iconography, giving it a stylized, retro look that’s frankly very damn cool.

Ditto that for the shoes themselves, which tend towards classic cup-sole and vulcanized silhouettes with canvas or suede uppers. You could certainly opt for something a little more modernized, like the paneled Pearl or the Amiel runner, but for our money, it’s the more minimal models like the Dellow and the (relatively new) Surma that really tug at the heartstrings.