When most people are looking to buy new clothes, they buy the best looking and most attractive pieces. So why are some people buying shoes that they themselves call ugly?

Welcome to the the “dad shoe” trend in the streetwear community. Some examples of these shoes are the Yeezy Boost 700, the Balenciaga Triple S Trainer, and the Puma Thunder Spectra.

All of these shoes feature chunky designs that are most comparable to shoes worn by dads, but the Yeezys retail at $300 and the Balenciagas come in at $845. The Puma sneakers, at least, are only $120, as they are a cheap alternative to the two designer sneakers.

Since the Yeezy line has such an influence over what the sneaker community deems as “hype,” it is no surprise that the Yeezy 700 was the first “dad sneaker” to gather a large amount of hype.

This showed other brands that they could also have success creating chunky and ugly shoes, and when the sales came in, the point was proven further. Thus, these brands are willing to make what people will buy, and until the hype dies down, they will continue to make these shoes.

This hype will die down eventually, as the style would not gain support without the Yeezy 700, but since Adidas is releasing a Yeezy 700 V2, the hype will not die down for a while longer.

There are many ways to style the chunky dad shoes, and those styles happen to fit into the current overall hype clothing trends. For this reason, the chunky dad shoes seems to have a very solid position in the current wave of streetwear.

There are plenty of ridiculous fashion trends going around, but some of them, like the dad shoe look, can actually apply to younger kids and young adults who might not have enough money to afford expensive high fashion trends.

The Puma sneakers are cheap, stylish, and have helped bring the unusual look to people who otherwise wouldn’t see the high fashion trend. Being able to bring stylish and trendy streetwear waves to more people is always welcomed.