The ‘athleisure shoes’ category is more than just a way to get away with wearing sneakers as much as humanly possible. To my mind, it’s about finding the perfect combination of the most comfortable athletic shoes you can and looking great while wearing them.
Although the concept of athleisure wear existed before the pandemic, our collective preference for clothes that feel comfortable and easy to wear is now firmly entrenched. And that’s really what’s at the heart of the popular category. Although I love to feel comfortable in athleisure-style clothes, I don’t think that there’s any excuse not to look your best, too.
In this article, we’ll take a look at 5 of the best athleisure shoes for men, evaluating each of them on their own merits. By the end of the list, I’m sure you’ll have found a pair that you can’t wait to put on and enjoy some leisure time in.
Let’s get started.
Key Takeaways
During my many years of shopping for, buying, and wearing athleisure sneakers, I’ve picked up some fairly strong knowledge and very strong opinions about the category. After taking some time to research the very latest releases by the best brands making this type of shoe, I’m quite confident in the list of the 5 best men’s athleisure shoes that I’ve put together.
Overall, I decided to name the adidas Men’s Ubounce DNA Sneaker the absolute best athleisure shoes for men. These sleek and functional shoes are simply on the cutting edge in terms of design, and the incredibly well-cushioned soles will have you feeling like you’re walking on air.
There are a few other reasons I love them, but we’ll get to those in a moment. First, I want to highlight a couple of the other great men’s athleisure shoes on this list: the super-premium FRANCO CUADRA Men’s Sneakers in Bovine Leather and the simple but easy-to-style Vince Men’s Fulton Sneakers.
Our Top Picks
Why they’re great: The adidas Men’s Ubounce DNA Sneaker is a very modern running shoe in a lot of different ways. The design is fairly simple and unadorned but features a mix of mesh and other materials in order to give it some texture. You also have a lot of color options, including both black-on-black-on-black and the same in white, as well as several other options.
Who are these for? In light of the number of different colors available and the style of shoes, I’d say that most, if not all, FashionBeans readers would be able to pull these off.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Some people would say that these look a bit too much like dad shoes, which I can’t 100% disagree with, but I love wearing dad shoes.
Material: 100% Rubber | Sole Material: 100% Synthetic Rubber | Sizes Available: U.S. 6.5 – U.S. 14 | Colors Available: 11 | Style: Running shoes
Why they’re great: The KEEZMZ Men’s Soft Sole Running Shoes are a really minimalist type of athleisure sneaker in the same vein as
Who are these for? If you want a pair of running shoes to hang around in but don’t want to get a super expensive pair, then it’s definitely worth thinking about the KEEZMZ Men’s Soft Sole Running Shoes.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: Some of the colors that are available are really cool, but I really don’t care for others. Like, I’m really not sure what’s up with the bright green ones.
Material: 100% Fabric and synthetic | Sole Material: 100% Rubber | Sizes Available: U.S. 6.5 – U.S. 13 | Colors Available: 10 | Style: Running shoes
Why they’re great: They’re made from really high-quality leather and artfully designed, and I do have to admit that I really love the FRANCO CUADRA Men’s Sneakers in Bovine Leather. Everything just really works with these sneakers. They look really stylish but not super showy, and the profile looks great with a ton of different clothing styles.
Who are these for? There are definitely some men who want to have the absolute best in everything they wear, from their sneakers to their hats. These are a great choice if you see yourself in that statement.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: The FRANCO CUADRA Men’s Sneakers in Bovine Leather definitely do cost a pretty penny relative to some of the other options on this list, but they can definitely be worth it if you have the budget.
Material: 100% Suede | Sole Material: 100% Polyester | Sizes Available: | Colors Available: 3 | Style: Sneaker
Why they’re great: The understated Vince Men’s Fulton Sneakers are perfect for creating a stylish foundation for your outfit without drawing too much attention. Their comfort and high-quality craftsmanship make them a standout choice.
Who are these for? If you need a suede sneaker that complements your office and business-casual attire, then these sleek and simple gray sneakers are an excellent option.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: The minimalist design might leave some people wishing for a bit more unique styling. However, this simplicity is exactly what many others are looking for.
Material: 100% Suede | Sole Material: 100% Rubber | Sizes Available: U.S. 7 – U.S. 13 | Colors Available: 1
Why they’re great: The New Balance Men’s 574 Core Sneaker is a perfect blend of suede and lightweight materials, creating a functional and highly wearable shoe. Its high-quality construction ensures that they’ll be able to last for a long time, bucking the perception that suede shoes are more delicate than those made from other materials.
Who are these for? New Balance has garnered popularity because of the comfort it offers to a wide range of people.
Flaws but not deal-breakers: These sneakers definitely have the distinct look of New Balance shoes, so if the brand’s aesthetic doesn’t appeal to you, then you’ll benefit from exploring other options on this list.
Material: Suede, Mesh, and Recycled Polyester | Sole Material: 100% Rubber | Sizes Available: U.S. 4 – U.S. 18 Wide | Colors Available: 13 | Style: Sneaker
Buying Considerations for The Best Athleisure Shoes For Men
Style
Maybe the big question you have when you’re trying to find the right style of athleisure shoes is just how athletic you want the sneakers to be. Some athleisure shoes were designed for very specific athletic activities, be that jogging or weight lifting. And, as you’d expect, they often do look the part. I’d put the adidas Men’s Ubounce DNA Sneaker in this category, for example.
However, other athleisure shoes don’t look particularly athletic in quite the same way. They’re definitely sneakers, but they’re not really overly sporty. Some people might prefer to get this type of athleisure shoe because it more easily goes with what they tend to wear. Take a look at the Vince Men’s Fulton Sneakers and the FRANCO CUADRA Men’s Sneakers in Bovine Leather if you want to catch this vibe.
Color
I always think that it’s the dealer’s choice when it comes to the color of sneakers or, in this case, athleisure shoes. That’s because I don’t want to sit here and tell you that only all-black sneakers are cool or something. If you’re a fan of wearing colorful shoes and know how to style them properly, then that’s a great thing.
Preferring to wear more toned-down and neutral colors also isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Whatever you like, you like – just wear it with confidence.
Size
Although a slightly undersized pair of athleisure shoes isn’t going to pinch your toes as much as a stiff pair of dress shoes, you still want to make sure that your new pair of shoes fit you perfectly. Unfortunately, it can be a bit difficult to find the perfect size when you’re shopping online since you never get the chance to try on a pair of shoes before buying them.
You can be pretty sure that you’re going to get the right size if you take the time to carefully read the size guide for whatever brand of sneakers you’re thinking about buying. This will give you the best possible direction about what size will be best for you, straight from the horse’s mouth, as the saying goes.
How We Chose
When we were considering different options for this list of the best athleisure shoes for men, we were really guided by two main concerns. First, we wanted to include shoes that were supremely comfortable—since that’s a huge part of what makes athleisure clothes desirable in the first place.
Second, we wanted to make sure that all the shoes we recommended look awesome. Luckily, even with those two criteria in place, we had lots of choices and were able to narrow them down to a very strong 5 contenders.
As we always do here at FashionBeans, we also evaluated each possible entry on this list on the following four important points:
Company reputation: Whether we’re reviewing athleisure shoes or suits, it’s always important to us that any brand we recommend has an established track record of producing high-quality items.
Customer reviews: I love reading customer reviews just for how interesting (and sometimes funny) they can be, but they’re also an invaluable source of information about the quality of a product. We don’t recommend anything that doesn’t have stellar reviews.
Price: Nobody likes overpaying for a pair of sneakers or anything else. That’s why we always ensure that every product we recommend has (at least) enough value to justify its price tag.
Transparency: And lastly, it’s important to us that every brand whose products we recommend is transparent about the boring but crucial details, like the origin of their materials or the limitations of their return policy.
Why Trust Us?
The fact that no one on the editorial team here has a problem with athleisure sneakers is a compliment to the chill and non-elitist team that FashionBeans has built. Sure, there are some of us who would reach for a pair of loafers before a pair of New Balances, but we all have a lot of love, appreciation, and personal knowledge of the athleisure category.
That’s why we were all excited to weigh in on what should be on and off this list of the best athleisure shoes for men. After coming up with individual shortlists of our personal favorite pairs of athleisure shoes, we had an all-hands-on-deck meeting to iron out exactly what would make the cut. After some fairly intense discussion, we all ended up on board with the recommendations that you’ve seen today.
Final Verdict
Overall, we decided to recommend the adidas Men’s Ubounce DNA Sneaker as the best athleisure shoes for men. The sleek design is easy to wear wherever and with whatever you want. It also helps that I can’t really describe them any other way than supremely comfortable. I don’t think I’ll ever meet someone who regrets getting these athleisure sneakers.
FAQ
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Athleisure shoes can be worn in a wide variety of situations and contexts. As the name suggests, you can definitely wear them while you’re chilling out and not doing too much. However, the fact that they’re actually sporty shoes means that they’re also great to wear for everything from a day out walking around to a long day of traveling.
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Well, you can really wear athleisure shoes however you darn well please. Some people like to keep things consistent and wear them with other athleisure items like windbreakers or running shorts. Other people like to mix and match a little bit more, taking bold steps like wearing a pair of athleisure shoes instead of a pair of dress shoes or derby shoes.
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