Salomon

Salomon has been making trail running shoes since before fashion knew what trail running was. Founded in 1947 in the French Alps, the brand designed the XT-6 for ultra-marathon runners. Then architects, art directors, and fashion editors discovered it looked better than anything on a sneaker shelf. The gorpcore movement didn't create Salomon's fashion moment — it just gave it a name.

Aesthetic & Identity

Salomon made trail running shoes and then fashion happened to them. The XT-6 — a technical trail runner with aggressive lugs, a speed-lacing system, and that unmistakable silhouette — became one of the most important shoes in fashion without the brand intentionally designing it that way. The aesthetic is pure performance: mesh panels, QuickLace toggles, and a shape that says "I could run up a mountain but I'm going to a gallery opening instead." The color palette on the fashion-forward models runs from all-black to muted earth tones to the occasional bright hit. The brand's apparel line follows the same logic — technical fabrics, functional design, minimal branding. Salomon Advanced, the fashion-focused line, collaborates with designers like MM6 Maison Margiela, Comme des Garcons, and Sandy Liang, treating the technical shoe as a canvas for creative reinterpretation.

History & Trajectory

Founded in 1947 in Annecy, France, as a ski-edge and binding manufacturer. The brand expanded into ski boots, then cross-country skiing, then hiking, then trail running. The XT-6 was originally designed for ultra-marathon runners. Its adoption by fashion began around 2019, when the gorpcore movement and brands like And Wander and Satisfy started styling trail runners as everyday footwear. Salomon recognized the opportunity and launched Salomon Advanced — a division specifically addressing the fashion market with premium materials and designer collaborations. Amer Sports owns Salomon (alongside Arc'teryx). The fashion pipeline now coexists with the performance pipeline, and both benefit from the cross-pollination.

Cultural Footprint

The XT-6 is this generation's New Balance 990 — a shoe that signals taste rather than wealth, function rather than hype. It shows up on fashion editors, architects, art directors, and the subset of sneaker culture that got bored of Air Jordans. The Comme des Garcons and MM6 collaborations brought Salomon into high-fashion conversations. The brand's adoption in Europe — particularly Paris and Scandinavia — has been faster and deeper than in the US, where trail runners still carry outdoor-specific connotations. Salomon proves that the most compelling fashion products often come from brands that weren't trying to make fashion at all.

What to Know

The XT-6 runs $180-$200, the XT-4 $160-$180, Advanced collaborations $200-$400. Apparel ranges from $100-$400. Available at salomon.com, Dover Street Market, SSENSE, Slam Jam, and select sneaker boutiques. Key pieces: the XT-6 in any colorway (the all-black is the staple), the XT-4, and collaboration models from Advanced. Sizing runs true — these are performance shoes, so the fit is precise. The resale market is moderate — popular colorways and collaborations trade at modest premiums on StockX. The shoe works best with slim or tapered trousers and cropped pants that show the full silhouette.