Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
On April 28, 2026, Chanel introduced the Cruise 2027 collection in Biarritz, France, which included a shoe that sparked outrage over its unconventional design.
The footwear was quickly labeled “unhygienic.”
The show was the debut cruise collection under designer MatthieuBlazy, who took charge of the French fashion house in April 2025. It was held at Le Casino Municipal to celebrate the coastal town where Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel opened her first couture house in 1915.
Highlights
- A new shoe introduced as part of Chanel’s Cruise 2027 collection had the internet chattering about its controversial design.
- Medical experts spoke out about the risks of wearing the shoe outdoors, while netizens remained confused and infuriated by the design.
- The shoe reflected a popular TikTok trend that went viral a couple of years ago and ushered in a new style of footwear that raised concerns among doctors.
The shoe, which looked strikingly different from how they are usually designed, shocked netizens and experts alike.
“This brand lost all its creativity, common sense, and elegance,” one user said.
RELATED:
Chanel’s latest luxury shoe doesn’t even have a sole
View this post on Instagram
The show, attended by A-listers like Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, A$AP Rocky, and Sofia Coppola, opened with a reinvention of Chanel’s original little black dress and expanded to fishtail mermaid gowns and other classics.
Amid the extravaganza, the “heel cap” shoes caught the most attention, but not entirely for the right reasons.
View this post on Instagram
The shoes in question feature only a covering for the heels and a couple of strings to secure the material around the ankle. There is no covering for the instep, ball, or toes.
Photos from the runway went viral on social media as netizens poured in to criticize the shoe’s lack of practicality and hygiene.
Image credits: luvandgratitude
Image credits: FinanceGenie2
“Tetanus is about to make a big comeback,” one user said. Another wrote, “Ridiculous things rich folks do and buy.”
“On the most porous part of the body, picking up all kinds of infection while walking on a public street, someone’s spit, urine, etc. How goofy are people with money?” a third complained.
Image credits: Aurore Marechal/Getty Images
“Humiliation ritual bc what do you mean it’s a shoe for just your heel?” a fourth chimed in.
“Wow, the new homeless look huh? Chanel’s really gone to the dumpster for its inspiration this time, huh?” said a fifth.
Image credits: Aurore Marechal/Getty Images
Some argued that it was meant to be beach or poolside wear, since it was part of the Cruise collection.
Hedy Philips, the Senior News Editor of Style at People Magazine, dismissed the idea in her column, citing the temperature factor.
Image credits: Faberkat
Image credits: misscrankee
“Have you stepped onto sand in the de*d of August?” she wrote. “I have never run faster in my life than when I tried to make it from the sidewalk to the ocean in Daytona Beach, Fla., in bare feet — and that’s only Florida. The sand in hotter climates has got to be diabolical on bare skin.”
Experts weighed in on the dangers of wearing Chanel’s soleless shoes outside
Image credits: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images
Within hours of the shoe’s launch, experts voiced their opinions on the trend and the risks it posed.
“This is like a podiatrist’s worst nightmare,” said Dr. Saylee Tulpule, a board-certified podiatrist (foot specialist). “Are we barefoot or are we wearing shoes?”
View this post on Instagram
“So let’s protect her heel with a shoe,” she continued, jokingly. “But then, you know what? If the ball of your foot wants to step on glass or rocks, I guess it’s okay, according to Chanel.
“It’s definitely not a win in my books.”
Image credits: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Getty Images
Nneka O. Meka, another foot doctor specializing in soles, said, “This is what it looks like when fashion people have nowhere to walk, because this is not a shoe. This is the ‘soft launch’ of a shoe.”
“I know this costs a mortgage, or at least somebody’s rent, and that’s the part that really upsets me,” she continued, pointing at the exorbitant prices of haute couture labels. “So now you’re broke and unstable, physically, financially, and maybe mentally.”
Image credits: digitalirony
Image credits: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images
“This is not a shoe made for walking,” she added, pointing out the harm it would do to a foot’s plantar fascia and Achilles tendon if stepped out wearing this shoe.
Medical experts have previously warned against the popular TikTok trend of going barefoot
Chanel just dropped a “cap-heel” sandal that’s basically just a heel strapped to your foot.
No full sole, barely any structure.
It almost looks like you’re walking barefoot.This is legit. 🛳️ Cruise 2026/2027. pic.twitter.com/luJcjMNcS0
— Elle Lookbook (@EvaLovesDesign) April 30, 2026
In 2023-24, a wellness trend called “Earthing” or “Grounding” went viral on TikTok, urging people to walk barefoot, claiming that human skin to soil contact was a more “natural” and “organic” way of living. It coincided with the rise of barefoot footwear, minimalist shoes with thin, flexible, or sometimes no traditional soles.
Image credits: Aurore Marechal/Getty Images
Foot and sole experts had to come forward and dismiss the discourse, strictly warning users against it.
Dr. Sari Priesand, a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), told Michigan Medicine, “I hope people aren’t really doing this. But rage bait or not, I would highly suggest not trying it.”
Image credits: Marc Piasecki/Getty Images
“Keep the shoes on. We’re not Flintstones,” the doctor continued, saying that stepping on foreign bodies like glass, dirt, and other debris can cut or scrape the sole and eventually infect it.
Athlete’s foot and nail fungus were also common risks of going barefoot, and plantar warts could even lead to human papillomavirus (HPV), she added.
Image credits: OldJove2
View this post on Instagram
Dr. Miguel Cunha, DPM, founder of Gotham Footcare, wrote on his website that the trend can cause plantar fasciitis, a condition characterized by heel and arch pain, and Posterior Tibial Tendonitis, which causes swelling and physical instability.
@voguegreece#Chanel Cruise 2027 #Vogue#VogueGreece♬ оригінальний звук – Classical Music
“Prolonged pronation while walking barefoot can worsen faulty foot biomechanics and contribute to the formation and progression of foot deformities like bunions and hammertoes,” he stated.
“Hideous and pointless.” The internet was incensed over Chanel’s new shoes without a sole
Image credits: MistyRiverMoon
Image credits: ButterflyC32490
Image credits: Wildingarden
Image credits: Holly4Justice
Image credits: SheilaStepj3
Image credits: Myamberleon
Image credits: ilkebaykurt
Image credits: Shari12301
Image credits: kat00oo
Image credits: KinnMarissa
Image credits: SemperIdom
Image credits: AmyHuston3
Image credits: TkascMisco
Image credits: beautaplin
Poll Question
Total votes ·
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
Newsletter
Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls
By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You've successfully subscribed to newsletters!
Related on Bored Panda
27
0