Fluffy shoelaces change the shape of a pair. The material is plush, the lace is 13 mm wide, and the volume fills the space between the eyelets instead of collapsing into it. At Sweetlaces they're called Fluff laces. They're 25 % wool, 25 % nylon and 50 % acrylic, in 11 colours, all in 115 cm and most in 145 cm.
The material, and what creates the volume
A flat lace disappears once it's on. A Fluff lace keeps its thickness, and that's what creates the look known as fat shoes, or bump: the shoe reads wider and rounder.
The wool brings the softness. The nylon and acrylic hold the structure and stop the lace sagging after a few days of wear.
115 or 145 cm?
It comes down to how you lace, first of all.
If you don't tie them, and that's how fluffy laces are worn most of the time, 115 cm works on everything, runners included. You lace up, you let both ends hang along the upper, and the volume of the wool is enough to hold the foot. It's the look you see on well-laced pairs, and it avoids the thick knot wool always makes.
If you want to tie them, count your eyelet pairs. Pairs, not individual eyelets.
| Eyelet pairs | Recommended length |
|---|---|
| 4 to 5 | 115 cm |
| 6 to 7 | 115 cm worn loose, 145 cm to tie |
| 8 and above | 145 cm |
Common models give you a rough idea. A Dunk Low or an Air Jordan 1 Low sits around five pairs, an Air Force 1 around six, a runner goes higher. Editions vary a lot within those lines, so count your own pair rather than trusting the average. On a runner you want to tie, go for 145.
Bunny, FL Pink, Teddy Bear and Brown Bear only exist in 115 cm. On a runner, they're worn without a knot. The length is printed on the packaging, and the transparent window lets you see the shade, so you can check without opening the box.
Which sneakers they look best on
On runners. That's where a Fluff lace makes the most sense. Asics, Saucony, New Balance: these silhouettes have a low upper, a wide vamp and well-spaced eyelets, exactly what the volume needs to open up. The plush texture also answers the mesh and suede on those models, where it can clash on smooth leather.
The lower the upper and the wider the vamp, the more room the volume has.
Classic low-tops work very well too. Air Jordan 1 Low, Dunk Low, Air Force 1. The result is sharper, more graphic, because the upper is more structured.
Black goes with everything. On a low-top as much as on a runner, it's the colour that asks the least thinking.
On a high-top the effect is there, but you need 145 cm and you have to accept looser lacing at the top.
On a light pair, the lace becomes the subject and anything works. On a pair that already has colour, pick up a shade that's on the shoe: a green one calls for Denver, a pink one for Doudou.
The neutrals and the dark shades change the silhouette without touching the pair's palette. It's the choice that asks the least thinking, and the one that ages best.
The lacing that shows off the volume
Don't pull them tight like a flat lace. A Fluff lace needs room to stay rounded, and too much tension flattens it between the eyelets.
Thread the lace over each eyelet rather than under. It stays on the surface, and the texture shows.
Let the ends hang rather than tying a knot. If you want the knot, keep it loose and leave the last two eyelets free.
The 11 Fluff colours
Four families, depending on what you're after.
The pastels. Yeti in blue, Denver in green, Pika in yellow, Doudou in pink, Monster in purple. Five soft shades, the easiest to wear on a white sneaker.
The neutrals. Polar Bear in off-white, Bunny in very light grey, Teddy Bear in sand beige. They add volume without adding colour, which works well on a pair that's already busy.
The dark ones. Raven in black, Brown Bear in deep brown. Black fluffy laces on a white sneaker is still the sharpest contrast in the catalogue.
The colour that doesn't go unnoticed. FL Pink, fuchsia pink. The brightest in the range: it works as an echo on a pair that's already pink, and as sharp contrast on a light pair.
And if you're looking for white fluffy laces
The white of the range is Polar Bear. An off-white, never a pure white: wool always keeps a cream base, and no dye takes it to a bright white.
It blends into a white or off-white upper, and it warms up a beige. If what you're really after behind “white” is contrast on a light pair, it's Raven, the black of the range, that gives it.
Caring for Fluff laces
Fluff laces can be washed by hand or in the machine, on a delicate cycle, at 40 °C maximum. Take them out of the shoe, put them in a mesh bag, and let them dry flat rather than in the tumble dryer.
Between washes, a soft brush brings the fluff back up.
Where Fluff laces come from
The first prototypes came out of the hands of Silni, the artist who founded Sweetlaces, just after the brand launched. We showed them on social media in December 2022, well before they existed in production.
The first colour to appear was Polar Bear. Off-white is therefore the original colour of the range: the other ten came afterwards.
All 11 colours are in one place, in 115 cm as well as 145 cm. Each product page lists the available lengths and the sneakers the shade works on.
Fluff collection
