It's a heel. It's a sneaker. It's a — Onitsuka Tiger kitten heel.
Onitsuka Tiger's most iconic sneaker, the Mexico 66 "Kill Bill", has graduated into a full-on heel. Ok, well, maybe not full-on in the traditional sense. See, even though the Onitsuka Tiger is a big cat, this shoe is still just a little kitten within the world of heels.
That's of course because of the shoe's shortened heel height and relative newness to the footwear scene.
This lifted take on Onitsuka's hero sneaker is the brand's first foray into heels, and it leans fully into the genre with the Mexico 66 Sereza heel that's highkey more heel than sneaker. More business than casual. More date night than night in. You get the point.
Typically, sneaker-heel hybrids take in equal parts athletic aura and lifted sophistication to reach a blended equilibrium of sorts.
If an imbalance does present, though, its usually the sneaker traits taking over, as seen with the Isabel Marant Bekett or Spanx's surprisingly stylish "Sneex" sneaker heel . Those shoes are sneakers first and heels second.
Onitsuka Tiger's Mexico 66 Sereza is the opposite as it leans all the way into the heel persona with a pointed toe, sling-back design and, of course, that small little heel. Sure, it's an Onitsuka Tiger, but visually it's much more heel than anything else. The only tangible sneaker imprint comes from the black lace-up detailing at the toe, which is honestly more fashion than function.
Available in September, this mixed-up shoe could pass for a traditional kitten heel with an Onitsuka Tiger paint job rather than a true fusion sneaker, which is what makes it such a nice addition to the delightful lineup of odd little sneaker heels coming out right now.
Tayler Adigun is a style and beauty writer covering the intersections of fashion and culture. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications from Howard University and a Master of Journalism degree from the University of Maryland. Tayler is a wedge sneaker truther (Isabel Marant for life) and is working on improving her vintage purse shopping game. She loves TikTok and spends an embarrassing amount of time scrolling through it.