I still clearly remember being a little girl with a pair of brightly striped toe socks. You know, the kind with a separate slot for each toe. They always got a huge reaction from people. My mom said they were uncomfortable, and I just thought they were awesome. I absolutely loved those socks, but eventually something happened to them — they disappeared somewhere along the way. First one sock went missing, then the other, the way socks so often do.

They never quite made it to mainstream. New trends came, people moved on, and toe socks were filed away as a fun nineties oddity, nothing more.

Turns out, fashion had other plans. Now, toe socks are back. Which, honestly, shouldn't surprise anyone — fashion is cyclical. Today, there is a whole ecosystem of brands making toe socks seriously — for running, hiking, yoga, and just everyday wear.

The undisputed market leader, especially among runners and hikers. Each toe gets its own moisture-wicking sleeve, which eliminates friction and blister-causing skin-on-skin contact. Their lineup covers everything from ultra-thin liners to cushioned trail socks.

The premium pick — a brand founded in 1968, crafting socks using a unique 3D knitting technique that fits naturally around each individual toe. Their running toe sock is actually the best-selling running sock in Japan, made with an original yarn blend of Lyocell, cotton, and polyester for moisture control and anti-odour properties.

Vibram makes toe socks, too, but their real story is in the shoes — more on that below.

And since we are already talking about shoes, you have probably also seen footwear with separate sections for the toes. Not tabi, those are a whole different category. I mean shoes with individual compartments for every toe.

That is exactly what Vibram FiveFingers are: shoes with a separate slot for each toe, long mocked as the footwear equivalent of a glove. According to Lyst, they saw a 110% spike in sales between April and June 2025, suddenly showing up on summer mood boards everywhere. FiveFingers became the latest “so-ugly-it’s-chic” shoe obsession.

Coperni even created its own in-house five-toe versions — from ballerinas to sneakers — while Balenciaga collaborated directly with Vibram, basically confirming that the toe shoe has officially completed its journey from niche athletic gear to high fashion.

So, once again, fashion moves in cycles. What once looked strange, childish, or outright ridiculous eventually returns as novelty — rebranded, recontextualised, and suddenly desirable again. This time it is toe socks. What will be next? Let's see.