Fall’s most coveted sneakers, from Under Armour and Unless, Sézane and New Balance, and Jacquemus and Nike, prove sustainability is the season’s defining accessory.
Is there a wardrobe anchor more reliable than a great sneaker come fall? (No.) As hemlines lengthen and textures turn plush, the right pair grounds a look — literally — and moves with the rhythm of cooler days.
This season, the most talked-about sneakers arrive not only with fresh silhouettes but with greener intentions. Under Armour’s regenerative partnership with Unless, the Parisian polish of Sézane’s debut with New Balance, and Jacquemus’s poetic revival of Nike’s Moon Shoe (if you can get ’em) each merge streetwear aesthetics with a new era of sustainability.
Under Armour × Unless
Under Armour and Unless have turned the sneaker drop into a manifesto. The collection introduces three fully regenerative models made from plant-based materials and zero plastics — a first for both brands. Under Armour is deepening its collaboration with Unless, the world’s first all-plant, zero-plastic regenerative fashion brand, with the launch of three new regenerative sneaker styles.
Each pair — the York Low, Govy Mid, and Seaside Slip-on — is designed to decompose at the end of its life, returning safely to the soil. The brand describes them as sneakers that “give back more than they take.”
Beyond their material innovation, these sneakers are classic additions to any wardrobe. The York Low slips easily under cropped trousers or denim, while the Govy Mid’s higher cut works with structured outerwear. To mark the launch, Under Armour enlisted artist Nathaniel Russell for a capsule edition of hand-cut felt motifs — a collaboration unveiled during Climate Week in New York, where environmental storytelling took center stage.
Sézane × New Balance 471
French label Sézane’s first sneaker collaboration, a reinterpretation of the New Balance 471, is as wearable as it is considered. Founder Morgane Sézalory described the collaboration to Marie Claire as an extension of daily life: “On any given day, you’ll find a handful of New Balance sneakers walking through our Paris headquarters… each worn in a way that reflects the individuality of the person wearing them.”
This Paris-meets-Boston design uses a mix of 50 percent split of leather, 37 percent cotton, 8 percent recycled polyester, and 5 percent recycled cotton, while the lining features 60 percent recycled polyester. Earth tones and suede overlays lend the shoe its easy sophistication — a neutral base for layered knits, long coats, and pleated skirts. Sézane’s broader sustainability ethos lends the collaboration credibility: more than 75 percent of its overall materials are eco-friendly, and over 80 percent are certified by third parties.
“We wanted the sneaker to blend seamlessly into a wardrobe of everyday essentials, with thoughtful accents — like the subtle play of color at the heel and the natural cream laces that make it feel considered,” Sézalory explains. “Just as with our clothing, it’s about creating something that feels both effortless and enduring.”
Jacquemus × Nike Moon Shoe
Jacquemus and Nike have blended heritage with high fashion in their fourth footwear collaboration, now reimagining the Moon Shoe, originally crafted by Nike cofounder Bill Bowerman in 1972. The new version retains the minimalist racer silhouette while introducing modern materials — notably, a Nike Grind outsole made of recycled rubber. The Nike x Jacquemus Moon Shoe blends the original model’s racing origins with a modern ballet aesthetic, to create a contemporary, low-to-the-ground torpedo shoe.
Simon Porte Jacquemus recalled his first encounter with the prototype: “Three years ago, when I visited the Nike archives, I first came across the historic Moon Shoe… I knew it was an opportunity to create a new story and reshape it in the Jacquemus way.”
The result is a sleek, ruched nylon sneaker with leather overlays and a slim recycled outsole — a minimal statement that still manages to look subversive. Its ballet-flat proportions and athletic soul make it the perfect counterbalance to fall’s heavier silhouettes. Worn with tailored suiting or draped wool skirts, it blurs performance and elegance — if you can grab a pair. The shoes sold out after their September 29th drop. They lauch again on SNKRS on October 6.
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