The most elite recognition a celebrity can receive for their craft is an Academy Award. For a footwear brand, it might just be a placement in Jennifer Lawrence's sneaker collection, debuted on one of her legendary Manhattan walks. London-based label Wales Bonner's Mary Jane sneakers just earned the sought-after award. this week.
Jennifer Lawrence ended her streak of retro sneakers and three-stripe Adidas Tokyos in favor her new Wales Bonner pair on April 29. At the same time that she turned the It-shoe spotlight on its founder, Grace Wales Bonner, she also cosigned the Mary Jane sneaker trend making inroads at runway designers (like Eckhaus Latta) and affordable brands (like Puma) alike. It's a style that looks exactly like it sounds: the single-strap upper and curved toe of a Mary Jane, combined with a sneaker's treaded soles and padded footbed built for 10,000-step days.
Mary Jane sneakers tiptoed into the sneakersphere as early as 2023—with an assist from the same designer behind Jennifer Lawrence's pair. Wales Bonner first released silver metallic Mary Janes on the Fall 2023 runway that featured a leather outer and a Vibram sole. Taylor Russell test-drove a pair in her everyday wardrobe; Zendaya skipped onto British Vogue's April 2024 cover wearing hers. The version Lawrence picked up just over a year later has a similar sole and wide strap, but it's rendered in a much more understated, poly-based black fabric.
While fashion editors fixated on Wales Bonner's collaborations with Adidas in 2023 and 2024, the brand's Mary Jane sneakers walked on by. But Jennifer Lawerence's quiet debut is all the sign a sneakerhead needs to update their collection. She proved the style's everyday ease, teaming it with a vintage printed jacket, black longline pants, and a throwback Shania Twain baseball cap. The embossed strap is such a dainty addition, it could match the energy of a Gap x Dôen sundress or collarless jacket just as easily.
This won't be the last time anyone sees Jennifer Lawrence's spring street style trend du jour. Each of her beloved mesh flats, Adidas sneakers, and The Row jelly sandals have paraded down her block multiple times after their debut stroll. The Mary Jane sneaker trend is so comfortable, history will almost definitely repeat.
