19 Park Hang-Ready White Sneakers to Kick-Start Your Spring (2024)

Plenty of other brands have put their own spin on it (and it's easy enough to come by an authentic vintage pair), but Margiela's is the rare upscale variant worth every penny. The leather is buffed but not shiny, the suede is appropriately supple but not precious, and the whole shebang is elevated enough to wear to the office on a Friday—and low-key enough to wear to drinks when you clock out. In 2024, Margiela, the man, is revered for his cerebral approach to subverting the classics, but the success—hell, ubiquity—of the Replica is testament to his eye for commercial viability, too. The guy knew how to make a high-quality product and how to market it. How's that for a legacy you'd like to claim as your own?

The Best Large-and-in-Charge White Sneakers

All real sneakerheads know that black Air Force 1s are a bad omen—if you see someone in them, it means you should turn and run. White Air Force 1s, on the other hand, are a sign of nothing beyond the wearer’s very fine taste. Since 1982, when they were introduced as Nike’s first basketball shoe to feature its revolutionary Air tech, the AF1 has held it down as the Swoosh’s single most reliable model. It’s hardly the flashiest Nike ever released, or the best performing on the court, or the most storied—but it’s tasteful, understated, and wholly timeless, three adjectives that don’t get thrown around in sneaker circles often enough. Long before Balenciaga made clownishly oversized sneakers a thing, Air Force 1s were chunkier and more bulbous than any of the sneakers that came before them. When doused in all-white, those proportions—along with the perforations on the toe and the panelling along the sides—feel all the more statuesque. And while they look incredible fresh out the box, they're among a rare class of white leather kicks that genuinely still look killer smoked to high hell. Whether you're on your first pair or your 40th, it's never really a bad time to pick up another.

The Best White Canvas Sneakers

Looks-wise, the Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star has hardly changed at all since it first hit the hardwood in the early 1920s. They’re the classic white sneaker you probably think of first. In terms of construction, though, the no-frills GOAT hit its peak in the '70s: the canvas upper was weightier, the rubber midsole rode up a little higher, the toe cap was a touch smaller, and the patch on the back of the heel was a cool retro black rather than the standard white. A few years back, Converse decided to make them that way again. For a cool $90, the Chuck 70 gets you all those key design upgrades, plus the benefit of modern cushioning installed into the thicker vintage outsoles. They're the same Chucks you've always loved, only better. The only choice you have to make is whether you want the high-top or the low-top version.

“Chucks are as classic as it gets," GQ's Gerald Ortiz say, and the Chuck 70 is significantly better than its regular counterpart. "The canvas is burlier, the silhouette is chunky but not in an overly trendy kind of way, and the insole is supremely cushion-y.” In other words, they're well worth the minor price jump, so we'd recommend springing for the upgraded version.

The Best Outdoorsy White Sneakers

When the legendary French outdoors outfitter Salomon wanted to get more people interested in their hyper-functional sneakers, they scoured their archives for silhouettes that could serve as canvasses for wild colorways: electric limes, fire truck reds, fresh ocean blues. As it happens, though, Salomon's shoes look plenty sharp with no color at all. The nylon mesh, sleek panels, and quick-lace system work even better together iced out in glacial whites, and the grippy lug soles seem somehow fiercer. Like all Salomon kicks, the XT-6 has all the tools to conquer craggy mountainsides, but it'll perform just as well on the city streets with your biggest brunch fits. We named them the Sneaker of the Year back in 2019 and they're still a hit to this day.

The Best Small-Batch White Sneakers

These may look like a regular pair of sneakers, but you can't judge a book by its cover (as cool as it looks). These collaborative kicks are the work of Moonstar in cahoots with Buck Mason. Moonstar has been in the business of footwear for generations upon generations—since 1873 to be exact. They got their footing by making traditional Tabi shoes and evolved to master the vulcanized rubber process. Each shoe uses a unique method which requires the clay-like rubber to be applied by hand before the shoes are literally baked in a kiln. The result is a higher-quality sneaker with more character and soul (heh) than the competition.

Ortiz (yes, again—the guy went through a 5-year-long white sneaker phase) loves his Moonstars because of how comfortable they are—and how beautifully they break in, like a rare pair of vintage sneakers. Are they worth twice the price of other alternatives? If you dig slow-made, well-crafted garments with a great story, absolutely.

Plus 12 More White Sneakers We Love