Hamburg  - The sneaker is not just a gym shoe.

Quite some time ago it split away from its athletic origins to take over pedestrian zones, school yards and clubs. Since its inception it's basically never been out of style, but this summer the shoe is pushing itself to the foreground in new colour combinations and in sleeker lines.

Colourful and light are the hallmarks of the new editions of the shoe, which are actually remakes of older models. Designers are concentrating largely on female buyers this year, as the sneaker has become an element of many a girl's outfit, leaving behind its purely boy shoe image.

Women in particular currently are choosing sneakers with greater frequency, said Markus Wiener, owner of a shop called Sneakology in Hamburg. They typically wear the shoe up to their ankle, and canvas is the preferred material. Women also are the ones who go for the combination of sportiness and chic, said Helga Cevey, fashion expert at Germany's shoe institute in Offenbach.

"They like to pair smaller models with blouses and leather jackets," said Cevey.

In summer the shoes appear in all sorts of colours, and the retro wave has brought many older styles back into fashion in new colours, said Wiener. The shoes display a narrow silhouette and are thus are designed to be tightly laced.

"Lightness is the number one imperative," said Cevey. Weight and the strength of the sole are sacrificed to achieve it.

"More and more women are leaving their high heels in the closet in favour of sneakers," said Peter Kulawiak of Cologne, who is a collector and also runs a German-language website about sneakers. Sport shoe manufacturers are making their models increasingly for women, that is, in sleek and slim versions. Nike, for example, has sent its new Skinny Dunk model to shoe stores, said Wiener. Compared to the shoe it is modelled on, it is more narrowly cut. Adidas likewise is offering its Top Ten sneaker in a more narrow, sleek version.

Reebok also has readied the Freestyle model in several colour combinations and special editions, said Wiener. In addition Nike is offering Blazer to go with tube jeans and skirts, while Adidas' SL72 is popular. As opposed to other new sneakers, it is flat, but still airy and slender - a pure summer shoe. Other major manufacturers, including Asics and New Balance, are taking smaller versions of their sport sneakers to the market.

One colour trend is rainbow; another is natural, said Cevey. Vintage materials such as linen or canvas are used to complete the look. Specially treated leathers also are in the mix as an expression of authenticity, or even as a nod to nature, said Cevey. The development of the crossover - the combination of several styles - represents a new individuality and casualness.

"The separate pieces don't distinguish the individual, rather it's the mix that makes the look," said Cevey.

New sneaker fans and collectors of the old versions no longer have to travel to large cities to find them.

"Collectors used to have to be lucky to have guessed correctly when they could get the unusual shoes in New York or Hong Kong," said Wiener. Now the shoes are available for purchase on the internet, which Kulawiak points out has contributed a lot to sneaker culture. Stars such as rap giants Young Jeezy and Kanye West have also played a role.

The shoes they wear trigger huge hype and are considered the release of the year among collectors, said Kulawiak. While women go for slender styles, men prefer special editions, Wiener said.

Due to the comfort it provides, the sneaker pushed through to become a shoe for daily wear and it has become socially acceptable, said Wiener. This summer it's going a step farther by taking on colours.

"People are simply more open to that idea and to wearing unusual styles," he added. (dpa)