How Saucony Became One of 2026’s Hottest Sneaker Brands

Skip to main contentWith an extensive archive to draw from and a roster of visionary collaborators on tap, the 128-year-old footwear label is hitting its stride.StockX; Collage: Eva BaronIt’s been the year of surprises in the sneaker world. For decades, the industry has revolved around the big names—Nike, Adidas, Air Jordan—and streetwear culture has followed suit. If it didn’t have a Swoosh or Stripes, it didn’t usually garner much attention. In recent years, though, that’s changed. You can only spackle so many colors and patterns across a pair of retro Air Jordans or Yeezys before people move on to something new. Since New Balance started making waves a few years ago, smaller brands in the sneaker space have been driving the culture and the industry in ways nobody could have anticipated. And in 2026, none of them are having a moment quite like Saucony, which resale platform StockX recently reported as the fastest-growing sneaker brand on the site through the first six months of 2026.One of the oldest brands in the sneaker game, Saucony was founded in 1898 in Pennsylvania (it’s named for the Saucony Creek, which flows next to the original factory in Kutztown, PA). Since the launch of their first running shoe, the 7446 spike, in 1958, most of the brand’s focus has been in the running space, with lifestyle offerings largely consisting of old-school runners repurposed as everyday kicks (a common theme among sneaker brands these days). Shoes like the Jazz have been modestly successful, but they’ve had nowhere near the clout enjoyed by bigger-name vintage models like the Superstar or the Cortez, and had begun to feel pretty stagnant.Recently, though, Saucony has started cooking. One of the keys to success and relevance in the sneaker industry is the art of collaboration, and Saucony scored a couple of early hits by betting on collaborators like Jae Tips, a creative figure in the streetwear world and founder of the brand Savior Worldwide. Jae’s iterations of classic Saucony silhouettes utilized bright colors, textiles, and patterns to make them feel of the moment in a way the brand hadn’t in ages. The collaboration also revealed how much untapped potential lay in the Saucony archives.The Jae Tips collection drives much of that growth, with recent collaborations from rapper Westside Gunn and Colombian superstar Feid also generating substantial hype. Brendan Dunne, the platform’s senior director of community engagement (and a longtime veteran of the sneaker industry), notes that Saucony’s heritage laid the groundwork for the resurgence. “Nobody needed to be convinced that Saucony was a legitimate, compelling supplier of sportswear,” he notes. “They just needed to be open to shifting their taste a little bit and exploring stuff.”Another key collaborator was 3sixteen. The acclaimed menswear brand—and perennial GQ darling—operates on the opposite end of the spectrum from Jae Tips, focusing on heritage craftsmanship, selvedge denim, and what’s increasingly called “slow fashion.” If Jae’s efforts tapped into his brand's hype, 3sixteen’s leaned into its status as an American heritage brand. Their inaugural effort, a hand-dyed series of Peregrine running shoes that emphasized craft and intention over eye-grabbing colors and patterns, was one of our favorite sneakers of 2025. It called to mind the revitalization of New Balance, which earned a seat at the big table by proving its silhouettes could be canvases for anyone from Action Bronson to Auralee.There’s nothing wrong with riffs on classic silhouettes like the Air Jordan 3 or the Adidas Samba, of course, but a brand like Saucony taking center stage is bringing some much-needed newness to the space and, in Dunne’s opinion, giving the people exactly what they want. “They’re doing a great service by providing people with cool alternatives to the same tired sneakerhead staples,” Dunne says, “which should help out with the whole central quest of the sneaker collector: finding footwear that helps you stand out.”Sign up for Show Notes to get news on the latest runway shows, parties, and insider events on the international fashion circuit.Tres Dean is a contributing writer for GQ specializing in sports, fashion, and the intersections between the two (which most often means covering sneakers). Outside of the going-ons of the sneaker world, he’s profiled athletes like Zion Williamson, defended the valor of reviled directors, and interviewed Travis Scott from the ... Read More