After spending much of the year stepping its way back into fashion’s consciousness, Valentino Garavani’s Rockstud is going somewhere a little more casual this time round. Earlier this year, the studded pump landed in much-anticipated The Devil Wears Prada 2, before Alessandro Michele brought out his own interpretation for pre-fall 2026. Now, the house signature has found itself wrapped around the collar of a sneaker, trading the spindly heel for the chunkier proportions of a runner.
First unveiled as part of Valentino’s fall/winter 2026 Interferenze collection, the Valentino Garavani Stud Up takes the stud somewhere decidedly sportier while still keeping all that glamour intact. Light gold-finished studs encircle the padded collar, while suede or leather is layered with nylon across the upper. The shade combinations are on the more playful side, running from earthier hues to bright hits of colour, while the split-leather and nylon versions are accented with butterfly embroidery.
There is also something pleasingly unprecious about the way the shoes are finished—each pair is treated to create a vintage effect, giving the sneakers a more lived-in feel even before it is worn. The Rockstud itself has always had a similar duality: its pyramidal shape, which Valentino links to details found across Roman architecture, brought a storied edge to the house’s otherwise polished shoes and bags long before Michele arrived.
Considering the Rockstud once became synonymous with the teetering, strappy heels of the 2010s, seeing the same little pyramid turn up on a deliberately weathered sneaker feels like a rather fitting update: same glittering studs, but on an entirely different stomping ground.
To shop the collection and for more information, visit Valentino.
