Salomon Sportstyle Sneaker Ascension

Within the last few years, Salomon, a brand born as a ski edge fabricator in the French Alps, has been instrumental in revolutionizing the sneaker industry. For decades, the company focused on manufacturing ski equipment, particularly binding, until they released their alpine boots in 1979. It wasn’t until 1992 that Salomon ventured into developing hiking boots for summer sports. Since then, the footwear within the brand has evolved into fashion forward sneakers that just happen to be made to take on the outdoors. This evolution began in 2015 when the sneaker boutique in France called The Broken Arm began putting Salomon’s on shelves and began receiving requests for the company’s footwear from customers. At that point, the higher ups in the brand knew that they could create a sports lifestyle sub category. The first silhouette that caught the consumer’s attention was the Snowcross; from there, the XT-4 and XT-6 gained popularity in the subsequent years and are the main attractions for everyone who’s delved into what the brand has to offer. Now, Salomon is at the forefront of pushing trail and hiking sneakers for an audience who isn't into exploring nature, an impressive feat for a ski equipment company.

But what is or who is the catalyst behind the recent success that we have seen from Salomon in the last few years? It almost feels like this brand started getting heavily discussed and brought to the forefront of sneaker media overnight, but actually, this emergence began back in 2017 at Boris Bidjan Saberi’s spring/summer fashion show. Salomon collaborated with the designer and allowed him to customize a range of footwear. At this point, Salomon had begun to ingratiate itself into the fashion side of the footwear industry and this transformation came at an opportunistic time. Unfortunately, COVID-19 would rampage the world a couple years later and would keep everyone indoors. However, that would end up being a good thing for brands who created functional sneakers made to take on the outdoors. When people began yearning for the opportunity to go outside and enjoy nature, they needed the footwear and clothes to do that. All of a sudden, it became popular to hike and do things outside in functional footwear and clothing. Of course this trend would also crossover into fashion and become something more than just functional attire. Now, we see Salomon’s sports lifestyle sneakers taking off because of this new trend.

The main feature that makes Salomon footwear so special, that has received the most buzz, and that has people excited for the next round of releases is each imaginative colorway. Each season, the brand releases several colorways that cover an expansive color palette. Salomon’s choice of color combinations and gradient blends propels its sneakers to another level. The expansive palette provides a range of colorways to go with any outfit.

What tends to push hype for brands with great sneaker models is collaborations, and Salomon has not shied away from collaborating with some well known brands. Salomon sneakers have the functionality and the fashionable aesthetics that has made its product highly sought after, and other brands have taken notice. What adds hype and makes people go crazy for footwear is knowing that they come in limited supply and not everyone has a certain colorway. Even though Salomon’s popularity has grown, most Salomons are very accessible when you compare it to some Nike products. However, the brand’s collaborations and store exclusives always sell out in minutes if not seconds. These collaborations have really propelled the brand in the eyes of the sneaker community. They have collaborated with Comme des Garcons, Carharrt, Palace, Maison Margiela, END. Clothing, and recently, Hidden.NY. Also, they recently released two colorways exclusive to the boutique Dover Street Market. An extensive and impressive list of some of the biggest brands shows just how fast Salomon is climbing in such a short period of time. When big name brands like those collaborate on a sneaker, the hype goes through the roof.

So where can you find them? The first and obvious option is to go to the Salomon website on the Sportstyle page to find whatever is available. If some of the more coveted colorways are sold out in your size, then Salomon footwear can be found in some boutiques and high end fashion and streetwear stores. Retailers include but are not limited to Sneakersnstuff, END. Clothing, Concepts, BSTN Store, Nordstrom, MR PORTER, Saks Fifth Avenue, SSENSE, and Dover Street Market. Look for Salomon’s online and in store at those retailers and other stockholders not mentioned.

When you get your hands on a pair, style them any way you want. Salomons are very versatile sneakers that you can wear in any environment and almost for any occasion. The vast array of color options allows you to mix and match and experiment with various colors in your closet. Just like most running type sneakers, they look great with shorts, jeans, and most pants. Go to the Krewe of Kicks Instagram page to see what Salomons look like on foot.

The future is bright for Salomon because of the functionality and aesthetics of their footwear. The brand provides colors and models for everyone to try and wear. Still kind of new to the industry, Salomons are not seen much on foot in person, especially in the south. If you’re looking to get something different on your feet other than the typical brands and models, Salomon is the perfect diversion away from what most people wear. Their are plenty of sportstyle models for you to explore that have not been mentioned here. We focused on the XT-6, which is the hottest silhouette, but I assure you, their is a good variety of Salomon models currently on their website. To the local people in the south and particularly in New Orleans who have yet to be exposed to the brand or are afraid to try something new, get ahead of the game and cop a pair of Salomons. You won’t regret it.

Photo Credits:

END. Clothing

Hypebeast

Salomon