Streetwear special: How to lace your trainers
Looking for a way to spice up your kicks? A quick update to your laces can make all the difference, and we cover some cool options below, to show you how to breathe new life into your old shoes.
Welcome to part two of our summer streetwear special. So maybe you just bought a new pair of streetwear shoes, or perhaps you’re just looking to refresh the look on some old favourites. Either way, learning new ways to lace them up is never a bad thing. Sometimes it’s for style, other times it’s straight performance. There are lots of reasons to change up how you lace your trainers — and really, no reason not to!
Lacing your shoes in a new way can really help to accentuate your style, and help you stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s an easy-going cross-lace, or a more refined straight-lace, the options are varied, and so is the effect. Find your perfect look with our guides below.
1. Straight lacing
Straight laces mimic horizontal bars on your shoes. Start by removing the laces, then insert both ends of the shoelaces into the bottom eyelets. Ensure that they are equal in length. Next, take the right lace and insert it into the right eyelet, just above the bottom holes.
Once you do this, take the right lace and bring it over the left hole and insert it. Grab the left lace and pass it through the left hole from the inside of the shoe. Pass the same lace, above and through the right hole.
Switch laces, this time grabbing the right lace, insert it into the right hole and then over and through the left hole. Do the same to the left lace.
Keep doing this while switching the laces as explained before, until you reach the top holes. At the top, the laces should be equal in length. You can now tie your laces.
2. Skip lacing
Skip lacing is an extremely simple lacing technique. It is ideal for high midfoot shoes. All you need to do is skip the loop wherever you want to leave the room. Do that repeatedly and this lace-up style will take shape, and look incredibly cool.
3. Extra eyelet lacing
The extra eyelet lacing is all about the extra eyelet on particular shoes. You should lace-up shoes the normal way. But when you get to the extra eyelet, thread your lace back through it, without tightening it. You’ll have created a loop on each side. Now, thread each lace on the opposite loop. Tighten the laces to clinch the new loops, and tie your shoelaces the way you like.
4. Ladder lacing
Take your shoe laces and insert them in a straight manner and out through both the bottom holes. They will make a straight horizontal line in the bottom holes, and the laces will each be on the outside and opposite sides of the shoe.
Take the right lace and insert it up and outside into the eyelet above the bottom one.
Do the same to the left shoelace. You should have both laces inside the shoe and separate vertical lines on both ends of the shoe.
Now, take the right shoelace and insert it through and under the left vertical line. Take the left lace and insert it through and under the right vertical line you made. You will have formed locks on each side of your laces.
Then take the right lace and insert it above and outside the next eyelet. Do the same to the left lace.
You should then have the laces inside the shoe and an additional two vertical lines on either side of the shoe.
Take the right lace and insert it through and under the left vertical line to make a lock. Do the same to the left lace.
Keep doing the same procedure described until you reach the top holes.
5. Diagonal lacing
Insert your laces through and out the bottom holes such that they make a horizontal line. Ensure the laces are even. Pass the left lace to the opposite right hole; it should go over and above the shoe. Take the right shoelace and insert it to the left opposite hole. The lace should pass over and above the shoe.
Repeat this procedure until you reach the top holes. The laces should form a diagonal pattern. You can now tie your shoelaces.
6. Up and away tie
Start by pulling your laces through the bottom. For this pattern, see to it that you use about one-third of the lace on one hand, while two-thirds remains on the other hand.
Take the shorter end and lace it up through the top eyelet of the left side. This will form a diagonal lace pattern across the length of your shoe. You should make the longer lace zigzag through each eyelet on each side. When you get the top, tie your shoelace the way you like.
7. Loopback lacing
Loopback lacing is an excellent and unique way of lacing up your kicks. It augurs well with thick and colorful laces. So how is it done?
Begin by taking your lace directly across the bottom eyelets. And then ensure the left side and right side of your laces are equal.
Take each lace diagonally across your shoe. Proceed to wrap them around each other. String them back through the next eyelet and keep going until you finish.
Once you are done, you can always tie your shoelaces in your favorite knot.
8. Spider web lacing
For spider web lacing, begin on the second bottom eyelets. Just put your lace straight across this eyelet and ensure that it’s of equal lengths on both sides.
Take the end of the right lace and put it through the bottom eyelet of your shoe. The objective is to create a loop.
Do the same on the left side.
Cross the ends of the laces and run them diagonally up the inside, and out through the third-last empty left eyelet.
Repeat the same for the right side. Run the left side of the lace down the left side, and loop under the first loop, formed previously.
Do the same for the right side. Now that you have established the spider web pattern, keep going until you reach the top eyelet. After you finish, tie the shoe in your preferred knot.
9. Missing laces
In the missing laces pattern, the laces remain hidden on the inner side of the shoe. It is, therefore, easy to assume that your laces are missing. So how is it done?
Start by threading your shoelace across the most bottom eyelet. The remaining parts of your laces should be equal on both sides.
Proceed to take each lace through the eyelet above it, from the bottom to the top of your shoe. Alternate in and out without crossing the laces on opposite sides.
Once you are done, tie your shoelace in a bow, and then tuck it into your shoe. Shorter shoelaces are ideal for this pattern.
10. Bow Tie Lacing
The first step is to insert your lace in through the right bottom hole. Level the lace and ensure both sides are equal in length. Then take your right lace and insert it over and inside the left bottom hole. It should go over the tongue.
The second step is to take the right lace and insert it inside and straight up the hole above the bottom hole. You will have a vertical line inside the shoe between the two holes.
Take the left lace and insert it inside and straight up the hole above the bottom hole. Now, each lace should be outside the shoe.
The third step; cross the laces, insert the right lace to the opposite hole on the left, and the left lace into the opposite hole. Repeat the second and third steps in that order until you exhaust the holes. Tie your laces.
11. Cross Over Lacing
First, take your shoelaces and insert them in a straight manner and out through both the right and left bottom holes. They will make a straight horizontal line in the bottom holes, and the laces will each be on the outside and opposite sides of the shoe. Now, ensure the laces are of equal length.
The second step is to cross the lace.
In the third step, insert the right lace in the opposite hole. This should be from the inside out of the shoe. Take the left lace and insert it in the opposite hole from the inside going out.
Repeat steps two and three in that order until you exhaust the holes. Tie your laces.
Lacing up the traditional way for each shoe you own isn’t fun. All your shoes tend to look the same. Break from this monotony by adopting some of the lacing styles mentioned above and you’ll love it.
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