In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you may have missed the order from the denizens of fashion that have decried disco, disco, party, party platforms as the only shoe worth investing in for the rest of this year.

But if your feet squirm at the mere whisper of the word ‘platform’, let alone the actual crippling wearing, then The Lyst’s annual fashion report has some positive predictions for your future feet: Birkenstock’s Boston clog shows no signs of going anywhere.

According to the shopping platform, which analyses the virtual shopping behaviour of 8 million people, Birkenstock’s Boston clogs are the hottest shoe of the year, with searches for the slipper-esque shoe increasing by 593% in the first six months of 2022 alone.  

It’s not the clogs’ first time landing a coveted spot in the annual round-up. The shoes, which first gained popularity among the style set during the height of the pandemic, have appeared five times in two years.

It’ll come as little surprise that the Sienna, Kendall and Mary-Kate-approved shoes are gripping on to their top spot. Birkenstock launched the Boston in 1979 as an alternative to the chunky wooden soles that were en vogue at the time. Unsurprisingly, the Boston’s popularity far surpassed its Arizona sandal cousin during the pandemic, as it rose through the popularity ranks in tandem with the return of fellow comfort-first footwear purveyor, Ugg.

Elsewhere in The Lyst Index, Miu Miu was named as this year’s hottest brand – after searches for it spiked by 49%, thanks to its viral ballet flats and micro mini skirt – and Prada’s nylon mini bag became the bag of the year, following a 131% spike in searches during the summer. 

The viral moment of the year was awarded to Coperni’s Paris Fashion Week finale look, which saw Bella Hadid sprayed with a paint that hardens to become a dress. The platform noted that in the days following the show, searches for Coperni spiked by a staggering 3,000%, making it the most searched-for brand of fashion month.

Images: Getty