Gen Z Says is a bimonthly column chronicling the latest trends in the fashion-and-beauty space through the lens of Who What Wear's own Gen Z editors. Expect a download on the upcoming class of tastemakers, emerging designers, and shopping and style choices straight from the generation setting the trends.
For the last few seasons, sneaker trends have been operating under a "more is more" mentality. Retro runners got brighter, soles got slimmer, and suede became the unofficial fabric of the fashion set—preferably in some hyperspecific shade of burgundy, chocolate brown, or butter yellow. But lately, I've noticed under-30 fashion people going in the complete opposite direction. Their sneakers aren't getting more niche and complicated. In fact, they're getting decidedly more plain.
Enter humble canvas sneakers.
Canvas Sneakers on the Runway
(Image credit: Launchmetrics/Spotlight; Pictured: Prada Spring/Summer 2026)Canvas Sneakers on a Gen Z Celebrity
(Image credit: Backgrid)Think classic Converse Chuck Taylors, Keds, Vans Old Skools, and the uncomplicated lace-up sneakers you probably wore into the ground at some point between middle school and your first year of college. They're simple, slightly nostalgic, and—after years of sneakers that practically require a trend report to understand—refreshingly easy. The appeal feels less like discovering something new and more like remembering something we'd forgotten was good in the first place.
Of course, Gen Z's current infatuation with all things 2010s certainly helps. Canvas sneakers have that perfectly unfussy, pre-Instagram quality to them: a little indie sleaze, a little Tumblr-era Alexa Chung, and a little "I just threw these on" energy. But the way they're being styled now feels decidedly 2026. Instead of skinny jeans and a band tee, I'm seeing them paired with lace-trim skirts, loose trousers, basketball shorts, baggy denim, and polished fall layers. Even the most basic black-and-white pair looks intentional.
Canvas Sneakers on the Style Set
(Image credit: @aude_julie)(Image credit: @rubylyn_)(Image credit: @styledsara)(Image credit: @rubylyn_)Maybe that's exactly why the trend feels so right for fall. After seasons of chasing increasingly specific It sneakers, there's something genuinely cool about going back to basics. No rare colorway, complicated silhouette, or four-figure price tag required—just a pair of sneakers that looks better the more you actually wear them.
Sometimes, the boring option ends up being the coolest one in the room.
Below, shop the best Gen Z–approved canvas sneakers ahead of fall.