Mephisto, the World’s Dorkiest Walking Shoe, Is Suddenly—Cool? Amid an orthopedic-shoe renaissance, fashionable people are flocking to the geriatric designs of a 59-year-old French footwear brand.

With a zesty collaboration arriving this week, the French shoemaker Mephisto is suddenly something it never dreamed of being before: cool.

The shoe style of grandparents everywhere is getting new love from Gen Z shoppers. So called geriatric designs have left ...

but fans of the shoes say they last for ages. That may even add to the allure. “I think a Mephisto is way better after 10 years of walking in them,” said Borsarello. “So I recommend wearing ...