TRAIL BORN, STREET READY: SALOMON
WORDS BY: ALEX JONES
Name the shoe brand that’s been spotted on the feet of Drake, Ralph Lauren, Rihanna, and more that one Jenner.
Another hint? Sure! They’ve had recent collabs with JJJJound, Palace, and Beams.
Ok, one more hint: it’s in the title of this article.
It’s Salomon! Founded in 1947 by Jean-François Salomon, they started out as any streetwear brand would, making saw blades. Though they quickly shifted their business to manufacturing equipment for alpine sports, they did stay on the cutting edge, so to speak.
In the 75 years since, Salomon extended their offerings and have mostly been known as an outdoor sports brand, making equipment, gear, and accessories for skiing, snowboarding, hiking, running, and even roller blades. Their gear is technical and tactical, made with the elements in mind. It doesn’t sound like a recipe for a streetwear brand, but they’ve been sneaking into the scene for a while. Rather, streetwear lovers have taken notice of Salomon and have been incorporating this gorpcore footwear into their fits for decades.
A quick note on gorpcore. First, “gorp” is slang for trail mix you might pack for a hike. Gorpcore is a fairly recent term for outdoorsy fashion and technical apparel like puffer coats and gore-tex pants, that are worn outside of an outdoorsy context. Of course, waterproof shoes are nice to have in the city too.
The XT-4 and XT-6 are probably what you picture when you think of Salomon, but we’ve got some underrated models to put in the spotlight that show Salomon is embracing the street as much as the trails.
The Speedverse PRG is a reimagining of their trademark Speedcross shoe. This one is made with grip in mind with a “lug pattern” outsole made for maximum contact with the ground.
The RX MOC 3.0 is what you put on AFTER your feet are tired, which for some of us is all of the time. It’s a slip-on with an oversized midsole intended to keep feet extra comfy, and a seamless, breathable mesh upper to keep your dogs from barking.
The Odyssey Elmt Mid is made to protect your feet from the elmts. It’s gore-tex! You know about gore-tex? These weatherproof shoes are more than welcome at our home base in Montreal where it does indeed rain and snow.
The ACS Pro looks like what people in 2005 thought people would be wearing in 2015. It’s like a throwback from the future; some colourways look like they belong in a Backstreet Boys video, others in the Blade trilogy. No matter what, these are the shoes from a future we hope for.
Salomon sneakers (and it does still feel odd to call them “sneakers”) are made with functionality in mind, and that might be why people love them. Getting footwear that’s made with attention to grip, heel drop, breathability, and stability doesn’t sound so bad for day-to- day wear. Call it trailwear, call it streetwear. Either way, pass the gorp!
