Three Air Rifts. Numbers one, two and nine.
Nike’s split-toe runner has been building toward this all year, and September is the month it finished the job. The ‘Buckle Strap’ takes #1 after seven consecutive months on the chart — the longest unbroken run of any sneaker in either the men’s or women’s lists this year, and its first time at the top. Behind it at #2, the Air Rift BR ‘Black’ returns after a six-month absence. The ‘Polka Dots’ holds at #9 for a fourth straight month.
One silhouette, three colorways, both of the top two positions. That ends the Samba Jane’s four-month run at #1 — it drops to #4, its lowest placing since May.
There’s a second pattern worth noticing: the Puma Speedcat Wedge also returns this month after six months away, having last appeared in February. Two shoes from the same February chart, back in the same September week.
Here’s the ten women’s sneakers moving fastest on Novelship this September.
1. Nike Air Rift 'Buckle Strap'
Key Features: The most architectural Air Rift execution to date. Originally designed in 1995 for Kenyan runners, with split-toe construction inspired by traditional running sandals, the ‘Buckle Strap’ replaces the original closure with three leather buckle straps — two across the forefoot, one at the heel. Smooth black leather upper with an elastic liner, scalloped panel edges, and the visible Air heel unit intact. Ships with a pink and yellow cherry blossom charm. Style code IB8881-001
Why It’s Trending: Seven straight months on the chart, March through September, and finally at #1. No other sneaker in either chart has managed that run this year. The buckle-and-tabi combination reads like a Maison Margiela shoe at a Nike price point, which is why it keeps pulling fashion editors and sneaker collectors simultaneously — a rare overlap that has kept it near the top regardless of what else has dropped.
2. Nike Air Rift BR 'Black'
Key Features: The Breathe version, and the purest expression of the silhouette. The BR uses an extra-ventilated mesh upper for maximum airflow, keeping the 1996 split-toe construction, hook-and-loop straps at midfoot and heel for a fully adjustable fit, and the lightweight Air-cushioned midsole. Triple-black execution. Style code DN1338-004.
Why It’s Trending: A six-month absence and a return straight into #2. This pair sat at #9 back in February, disappeared for the rest of spring and summer, and comes back as the Air Rift silhouette peaks. It’s the version for buyers who want the tabi shape without the buckle hardware or the graphic treatments — the original mesh-and-velcro build, in black, with nothing else going on. The most wearable Air Rift of the three on this list.
3. Nike Dunk Low SE 'Florette'
Key Features: A women’s-exclusive Dunk Low that reworks the silhouette’s colour blocking with floral accents. The palette runs Pink Foam / Sail / Pink Rise across a premium leather upper that softens and picks up vintage character with wear. Plush padded collar, foam midsole, and the classic rubber outsole with heritage pivot circles. Style code IV4726-600.
Why It’s Trending: Second month on the chart, climbing two places from August’s #5. The floral detailing is what’s carrying it — it gives the pair a reason to exist beyond being another pink Dunk, and it’s the design element rather than the colour doing the work. It also sits comfortably alongside the soft pinks and creams that have been the default women’s palette all year.
4. adidas Samba Jane 'Tan Leather'
Key Features: The Mary Jane–inspired reinterpretation of the Samba that defined women’s sneakers in 2026. Laces are replaced entirely by a single midfoot strap secured with hidden velcro, creating a clean slip-on profile. The upper runs rich brown leather with perforated 3-Stripes worked directly into the leather, plus small gold accents — “Samba” text along the strap and a metallic Trefoil near the toe. Heritage Samba cues all remain: low-profile silhouette, slim gum sole, reinforced toe, wraparound suede T-toe overlay. Style code HP7130.
Why It’s Trending: Its run at the top is over, but four consecutive months at #1 from May through August is still the longest spell any women’s sneaker has held the top spot this year. At #4 it remains the most rotation-friendly shoe on the list, pairing with denim, midi dresses, linen sets and tailoring without adjustment. The Mary Jane sneaker trend ran through this pair, and demand hasn’t collapsed — it’s simply been out-sold by a silhouette with three colorways working in its favour.
5. Puma Speedcat Wedge 'Totally Taupe Chocolate'
Key Features: The elevated take on Puma’s Formula 1 racing silhouette. The Speedcat Wedge incorporates an internal heel wedge, adding height without the discomfort of a traditional heel and keeping the sleek, low-profile racing profile intact. The upper is mixed-media — taupe suede with chocolate leather — with the signature Puma Formstrip in a high-contrast tone. Style code 407878-01.
Why It’s Trending: Another six-month return. The Speedcat Wedge last appeared at #5 in February, disappeared through the spring and summer, and comes back to exactly the same position in September. The wedge sneaker has been cycling back into style as 2010s fashion returns, and the Speedcat is the most credible platform for it — a genuine motorsport silhouette rather than a fashion approximation. The taupe-and-chocolate palette also lands squarely in the earth-tone direction that has run through women’s footwear all year.
6. Nike Sabrina 3 'Pink Oxford'
Key Features: Officially named ‘Three’ by Nike, in honour of Sabrina Ionescu’s record-breaking 25-of-27 three-point shootout — the most makes in shootout history, male or female — but widely searched as ‘Pink Oxford’ for its dominant colour. The mesh upper carries at least three tones of pale pink, lightest at the toe and heel and darkest through the centre of the side panel, accented by Coconut Milk Swooshes, Enamel Green Sabrina “S” logos on the tongue and a speckled pink midsole. Cushlon 3.0 foam with a forefoot Zoom Air unit underneath. Style code HF2882-600, $135 retail.
Why It’s Trending: The Sabrina 3 returns after sitting out August, and it comes back with a different colorway than the one that carried it through May, June and July. That’s the line rather than the shoe — buyers are staying with the silhouette and rotating through the palette. The Pink Oxford is the most lifestyle-forward Sabrina 3 yet: pale pink, Coconut Milk and a mint accent make it genuinely wearable with washed denim, cream sweats and soft knitwear.
7. ASICS Novablast 5 'Sky / Digital Sakura'
Key Features: ASICS’ daily trainer in a light Sky blue upper with Digital Sakura pink accents. Under the hood, the Novablast 5 runs FF BLAST MAX foam for energy return, a jacquard mesh upper for breathability, and an 8mm drop at 225g in women’s sizing. Style code 1012B989-400.
Why It’s Trending: Back after a one-month gap, having sat at #4 in July. The Novablast 5 continues to do double duty — genuinely capable as a daily trainer, but bought in this colorway largely for the palette. That split is increasingly common: women runners keeping one pair for actual mileage and one for aesthetic rotation. The Sky and Digital Sakura is firmly the second kind.
8. Nike Air Max Koko Sandal 'Black'
Key Features: A women’s platform sandal built on Air Max cushioning. A breathable textile upper with synthetic leather overlays sits on a thick layered foam midsole at what Nike calls pinnacle platform height, with a visible Air Max unit in the heel. The speed lacing system makes it quick on and off, and the textile upper is designed to be comfortable with or without socks. Officially Black / Anthracite / Black. Style code CI8798-003.
Why It’s Trending: New to the chart, and one of Novelship’s best sellers in the casual sandal category. It sits alongside a broader movement — the men’s chart this month has two slides in the top three and a sneaker-sandal at #9 — but the Koko is the most structured of them, with a real platform, real Air cushioning and a lacing system rather than a slip-on shell. Black makes it the version that works past summer.
9. Nike Air Rift 'Polka Dots Black/Metallic Silver'
Key Features: The more wearable of Nike’s two “Polka Dots” Air Rift colorways. A Metallic Silver base sits under scattered oversized black polka dot cutouts that reveal the darker layer beneath. The 1996 split-toe construction is untouched, with adjustable Velcro straps at forefoot and heel and a sculpted black midsole carrying Nike Air cushioning. Style code IR1226-001.
Why It’s Trending: Fourth consecutive month, having entered at #3 in June. It’s the third Air Rift on this list, and the one for buyers who want the graphic treatment rather than the plain mesh or the buckle hardware. The metallic finish also pushes it into evening rotation more easily than either of the others — a quality that’s kept it on the chart through a summer that’s now over.
10. Nike Shox TL 'Tattoo'
Key Features: The full Shox TL silhouette with all four signature Shox columns underfoot — the visible mechanical cushioning system that defined Nike’s Y2K era. A breathable mesh upper is supported by moulded overlays for structure, with this execution running a tonal Tattoo palette broken up by black. Style code IB1087-500.
Why It’s Trending: The Shox TL is back. The silhouette led this chart at #1 in March and held #6 in May before dropping away, and it returns in September with a new colorway rather than a repeat. The Y2K tech-runner revival that produced the P-6000 and the Vomero 5 earlier this year is still running, and the Shox TL remains its most maximalist expression — the columns are impossible to mistake for anything else. The Tattoo palette is the more restrained execution, which is probably why it’s the one that’s landed.
Conclusion
September belongs to the Air Rift. Three colorways on one chart, both of the top two spots, and seven straight months for the ‘Buckle Strap’ — the longest run any sneaker has managed in either chart this year. A silhouette Nike designed in 1995 for Kenyan runners, revived off the back of a fashion trend for split toes, has out-sold everything else in women’s footwear.
The Samba Jane’s four-month spell at #1 ends because of it, though it hasn’t gone far. And there’s a quieter story underneath: the Air Rift BR ‘Black’ and the Speedcat Wedge both return this month after six months away, and both last appeared on the same February chart. Whether that’s coincidence or the start of a cycle is worth watching in October.
FAQ's
A shoe with a divided toe box that separates the big toe from the rest of the foot. The design comes from traditional Japanese tabi socks and footwear, and Nike first applied it to the Air Rift in 1996 after studying Kenyan distance runners who trained barefoot. Maison Margiela made the silhouette a fashion object with its Tabi boot; the Air Rift is the version that does it at a sportswear price. The split is functional as well as visual — it allows the big toe to move independently, which changes how the foot rolls through a stride.
The closure and the upper. The BR (“Breathe”) is the original build — extra-ventilated mesh with hook-and-loop straps at the midfoot and heel, fully adjustable. The ‘Buckle Strap’ replaces those with three leather buckle straps on a smooth leather upper with scalloped panel edges, and ships with a cherry blossom charm. Both keep the split-toe construction and the visible Air heel unit.
An internal heel wedge, built into the shoe rather than visible externally. It adds height and changes posture while keeping the low-profile racing silhouette of the standard Speedcat intact — so it reads as a flat sneaker from the outside.
Yes — a visible Air Max unit sits in the heel, under a thick layered foam midsole. It’s a genuine Air Max platform rather than a foam sandal with Air branding, which is what separates it from most lifestyle slides.
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