Sydney Sweeney on Finding Beauty in Comfort, Surviving Fashion Crises and Incorporating Hey Dude Shoes Into Her Character’s Wardrobe

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Footwear News may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Sydney Sweeney might have recently shown off a crystal-embellished custom Miu Miu gown at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 2, but when she sat down for an interview two days before Hollywood’s biggest night, she was in her “go-to Syd look” — wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and a trusty pair of her HeyDude shoes.

Sweeney, whose partnership with the comfort-focused footwear brand was announced in 2024, is the face of a new campaign showcasing the Austin Lift, a suede platform slip-on style. In the campaign, Sweeney is answering the Fashion Crisis Hotline, which was brought to life at a recent pop-up at Grand Central Terminal in New York. The pop-up featured a giant version of the shoe as well as a huge vintage phone where fans could leave a voicemail for Sweeney requesting style advice from the fashion maven.

“I always believe that when you feel comfortable and confident, that is when you’re going to feel beautiful. I feel the most beautiful when I am confidently myself,” Sweeney said. “And it’s not because I’m wearing a beautiful dress or makeup or my glam team got me ready. I sometimes feel the most confident and beautiful when I am just me, Syd, at home or running around the lake and I’ve got my Hey Dudes on, and I don’t have to have makeup. I don’t have to have my hair all done. I really do believe that beauty is comfort.”

And the Austin Lift fits right into that belief.

“The Austin Lift, which is like my new absolute favorite shoe, is perfect for any fashion emergency,” Sweeney said. “It’s light and it’s comfortable, and I’m such a short girl, so I always like a little bit of a boost, and anything that has a little bit of a platform I’m really happy with. So, it just makes me feel really confident and I love that.”

Sweeney, who serves as an ambassador for several companies across many industries, elucidated the difference in her decision-making when she’s picking acting roles and picking brand partnerships.

“When it comes to acting, I try to choose characters that are completely different from myself. I like to challenge myself in new ways. I like to find characters that scare me and I can learn from,” she said. “And then when it comes to brands, the branding world is a way for the audience to get to know different sides of what I call Syd, and that’s who I am as an individual, personally. And so I try to find things that are more organic and authentic to who I am, that I can incorporate into my life and show my fans in the world a more personal side of who I am.”

Indeed, Hey Dude is a brand that’s close to her heart. While the company is still working to become more of a household name, the Sweeney family counted themselves as fans before the “Euphoria” star inked a deal with the brand, which is owned by Crocs. Inc.

Paul Nugent, chief marketing officer at Hey Dude, explained why Sweeney is an ideal ambassador: “Sydney embodies effortless style, confidence and individuality — everything Hey Dude stands for. Hey Dude is more than just a shoe — it’s a lifestyle that’s unlike anything. Sydney makes our brand feel both aspirational and approachable, connecting with fans through her signature style and strong social presence.”

While her Hey Dudes are reliable, Sweeney’s dealt with a few fashion crises of her own over the years, so she’s qualified to give advice. One specific issue for her is that her zippers sometimes break, meaning her team will have to literally sew her into a dress — and then she’s left struggling to get out of it when the night is over.

When it comes to shoes in particular, the “Anyone But You” star has had her fair share of uncomfortable moments. Sweeney lamented that fashion brands will offer sample shoes for events, but they’re typically a bit too big for her size seven feet. Even with her DIY adaptation methods (think stuffing toilet paper in the tip of a shoe), she’s experienced nights of wobbling and endured soreness that lingered even after her feet returned to flat ground. “Do not try and wear the highest heel,” she warned, “Just wear what you can actually walk in.”

While Sweeney wouldn’t say any of her characters have directly inspired her real-life fashion sense, she’s learned about her personal style through her various roles — she shouted out Cassie of “Euphoria” and her “transformative” Season 2 in particular. As for the other way around? Look out for a pair of Hey Dudes on her character Millie in “The Housemaid,” which is about a young woman starting fresh as a maid for a wealthy couple. Sweeney said, “I incorporated them into her life because I really felt that she would wear them.”

Sweeney offered some parting wisdom for women and girls who might feel inspired by her fashion choices.

“The most beautiful version of yourself is the most confident and comfortable version,” she reiterated. While she acknowledged it’s difficult to tune out external noise, she imparted, “Just embrace who you are, what makes you happy and what makes you feel free and fun, and just lean into that. Then that’ll be good.”

With that advice in mind, consider your fashion crisis averted.