Why Are The Row's Sandals So Popular in 2023?

For three summers, going on four, I have started my search for new summer sandals with the same question: Will this be the year I cave into Instagram peer pressure and finally invest in a pair of The Row's?

The Row's minimal leather sandals are less of a trending item than a slow-burning footwear obsession, worn repeatedly by a sub-cult within The Row's devoted customer base. They are elegant in their simplicity, even in the form of a black leather flip flop, and they have been steadily trickling into my feeds through celebrity placements since 2019. Their reach extends from the Los Angeles, where models like Elsa Hosk and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley wear them repeatedly, to New York, where style experts contributing to BAZAAR's shopping coverage regularly list The Row's sandals among their recommendations. And to close 2022, my well-dressed colleagues named The Row's Ginza sandal, a black platform thong flip flop, a featured item on the annual list of editors' favorite things known as the BAZAAR 100.

The Row Ginza Leather and Suede Platform Flip Flops

The Row Ginza Leather and Suede Platform Flip Flops

A simple design drew fashion insiders to The Row's sandals to begin with. "I think their minimal, Japanese-inspired style draws in a range of people with varying style preferences," Neelam Ahooja, a stylist, fashion content creator, and prolific collector of The Row's collections, tells BAZAAR. "They’re neutral and versatile. They work with anything from denim to dresses, and the ease of getting in and out of them is an added bonus."

It's worth noting: The sandal began lapping street style before the quiet luxury wave crashed on pop culture and The Row was swept into discussions about it. Still, a black platform flip flop retailing for nearly four figures whispers "wealth."

The Ginza is also, in some ways, a gateway shoe. Fans of The Row's first understated breakout sandal now have more versions to slip on, each with minute variations on the black leather thong sandal silhouette ("But they're so different!") and receiving plenty of celebrity attention. Kendall Jenner wore strappier black sandals from The Row last year for dinners with a side of paparazzi photos, as well as Coachella weekend. This spring, Zoë Kravitz wore flip flops sharing most details with the Ginza—black leather, thong straps—minus the platform sole.

"A few years ago, I might have said [The Ginza is] quintessentially The Row, but the shoe offering has expanded far beyond the Ginza and the styles are diverse," Ahooja said. "It's still considered core; however, the updated flip flops have lost the exaggerated platforms and have less conspicuous profiles."

Zoë Kravitz recently wore a pair of The Row's black sandals while out in New York City.

The Row City Leather Sandals

The Row City Leather Sandals

Ahooja has reviewed every Ginza iteration, plus several of the label's other styles. Her verdict on one of The Row's first It-sandals was, respectfully, mixed. "While they’re edgy and cool, they’re not the most comfortable. The suede pair is especially tough with the twist of the leather at the toe." Her honest feedback divided her followers fifty-fifty in an Instagram poll. "People love them," Ahooja said, "but not everyone can wear them."

Libby Page, market director at Net-a-Porter, resisted shopping her own pair until last summer. Like me, she hadn't been sure if the sandal would go the way of so many other "hot" products that fall off the map.

Instead, The Row's sandals continued gaining fans. (And in the Ginza's case, they may have gotten more comfortable: "Cushioned insoles," per the brand's product description, appear to be part of the design now.) Page said she wore her Ginza sandals every day last summer and will keep wearing them.

"I think that's when you know you found a true forever piece, when they've been around for a few years, and you're still thinking about buying them," she reflected. "Then you know it's something that you really have to have."

Halie LeSavage is the fashion commerce editor at Harper's BAZAAR. Her style reporting covers everything from reviewing the best designer products to profiling emerging brands and designers. Previously, she was the founding retail writer at Morning Brew and a fashion associate at Glamour.

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