Feline good: why kitten heel flip-flops are winning over flats-only gen Z

From Lily Collins at Wimbledon to the cast of Love Island, heels-averse cohort is stepping it up a notch Gen Z, the flats-only generation, has finally succumbed to the heel – albeit a tiny one. Long vocally anti-heel, the cohort who were born between 1997 and 2012 have famously shunned millennials’ obsession with Jimmy Choos in favour of pancake-flat shoes, from the Adidas Samba “It-trainer” to the split-toe Margiela Tabi and so-called “French girl ballet flats”. But they now appear to be embracing a potential gateway heel, typically measuring in the region of 1.5in (3.8cm) or the height of a triple-A battery. The kitten heel flip-flop has been seen on the feet of trendsetters Hailey Bieber and the model Kaia Gerber, and has featured in countless TikTok “fit-checks”; a street-style favourite, the shoe has become a way to channel the slinky style of the 90s this summer. It’s also been the heel of choice for spectators in the Wimbledon crowd, as well as for contestants in the Love Island villa. The Emily in Paris star Lily Collins styled her black Manolo Blahnik pair with a white bandeau and capris to watch the men’s final last week, while several of the ITV show’s islanders have spo