Loafers set to define fall 2025 across suede and varied styles

Loafers are shaping up to be the defining shoe of fall 2025, with designers, fashion editors and shoppers embracing a wide range of styles from soft suede to chunky lug soles. The trend surfaced on runways last year and has since spread through street style, celebrity sightings and retail assortments across luxury and mass-market channels.

Design houses including Prada, Carven, Altuzarra and Staud helped catalyze the movement by bringing suede into seasonal collections, Vogue editors said. That material, in everything from classic black to rich chocolate browns, has become a focal point for designers and buyers alike. Luxury labels such as Gucci, Khaite, Saint Laurent and Miu Miu are offering polished penny and driving versions, while brands from Tods to Tory Burch and Vince update traditional silhouettes with contemporary details.

Fashion publications and shopping roundups describe several concurrent loafer directions rather than a single dominant silhouette. Glamour highlighted chunky-soled loafers as a favorite for those seeking comfort with impact, and noted the broader rise of soft, unstructured loafers made from supple leathers and velvety finishes. Nautical or boat-style...