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Silicon Valley was supposed to make office fashion irrelevant. Suits disappeared, hoodies entered boardrooms and sneakers became acceptable footwear for people making decisions worth billions.

But rejecting one dress code simply created another. The new uniform had its own brands, prices and social signals. The right trainers could suggest that you valued efficiency, understood technology and were senior enough that nobody would ask you to wear formal shoes.

In Episode 6 of Sneaker Talk, we explore how comfort became part of the professional image — and eventually a status symbol.

What is inside Episode 6

The episode follows four models that shaped different generations of tech style:

  • New Balance 990 — the premium grey running shoe that made expensive practicality look perfectly reasonable.
  • Allbirds Wool Runner — the minimalist merino-wool sneaker that became the unofficial uniform of the start-up boom.
  • On Cloudmonster — the performance shoe that replaced quiet minimalism with visible engineering.
  • HOKA Bondi — the maximalist trainer that turned cushioning, wellness and recovery into professional style.

You will also discover why dressing casually can communicate power, how Allbirds became a symbol of an era and why modern office shoes increasingly resemble equipment for running a marathon.

And we will ask whether tech professionals genuinely choose shoes for performance — or simply follow a dress code with softer soles.

Listen now

Listen to Episode 6 of Sneaker Talk on STR — and discover how Silicon Valley replaced power dressing with power cushioning.