HHV Welcomes Salomon Sportstyle
to its Arsenal

Words: Ali George Hinkins

Designed to be equally as functional from peak to the pavement, slope to city, Salomon Sportstyle has ascended to the highest echelons of the fashion industry drafting in the likes of Palace Skateboards and Wander for collaborations along the way. As their popularity has soared in the last 5 years beyond those who the footwear was originally designed for, Salomon Sportstyle – previously known as Salomon Advanced – has become somewhat of a cult icon up there with the likes of Nike’s Air Force 1, Converse’s ‘Chuck Taylor’ and a slew of others that you expect to see down the local cafe or adorning feet on the pavement. But, as Salomon’s Sportstyle models have become increasingly prevalent across media outlets and Instagram pages, we wanted to take a deeper dive into the brand’s heritage and how it has transitioned from technical trails to the busiest of urban metropolises.

While you’re as likely to see Salomon’s footwear in an urban setting as you are in its destined rural trail environment, the history of the French brand is rooted in the mountain sports category. Founded in the heart of the French alps in 1947 by François Salomon, they began by making ski bindings – the device that connects a ski boot to the ski and allows the wearer to manoeuver with ease. After that, they expanded their foray into designing their own skis and snowboards, alpine boots and trail shoes establishing a stern reputation as providers of technical, performance-oriented goods. After being sold and entering a new chapter in Salomon’s history, it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that trail running began to gain a footing in popularity and, naturally, the French label wanted to dip its toes into somewhat familiar territory. The Speedcross landed with retailers in 2006 and was forecasted to sell a measly 1000 units which, in comparison to what Salomon sells on a yearly basis today, is almost laughable but they had no idea the impact this model would have. Endorsed by world-class athletes like Kilian Jornet, who used the Speedcross 2 to win the Ultra-Trail du Mt. Blanc in 2008, Salomon’s foray into trail footwear was burgeoning and leant on the brand’s rich knowledge of outdoor-ready shoes.

As previously stated, Salomon has infiltrated various communities within the fashion landscape through collaborative pursuits with the likes of Boris Bidjan Saberi and The Broken Arm which have been ongoing for the last couple of years. As well as providing interesting interpretations of function-forward footwear, they helped to reframe the brand when it was still perceived as a performance label; reinventing these silhouettes with fashion-forward colourways. While collaborative projects have been integral to Sportstyle’s growth in popularity, they are selective nonetheless when it comes to those with whom they partner. If we take Wander, for example, there are clear parallels between the two of them, more so than others, whereby function and form coexist with one another. The origins of the ‘Sportstyle’ range can be traced back to a collaborative project with The Broken Arm – a Parisian boutique home to the likes of Arnar Mar Jonsson, Prada and Salomon – in 2015, followed by Boris showcasing Salomon footwear in his Spring 2017 runway show.

In October 2016, J.P. Lalonde joined Salomon as a Special Projects Manager with the intention of expanding their horizons and exposing them to a new audience: ‘there was this intention of catering to a broader audience, and an audience focused more on fashion— but not fashion for the sake of fashion—more so fashion for the sake of a long-lasting product.’ he told Bodega. After getting things off the ground through a couple of collaborations with some leading players in the right fields, they had built up a range of unique styles and projects. By staying true to their mountainous heritage, they were able to create a product that functioned in the wearer’s day to day life, looked good and could even be taken out on the trails without worry.

From that point onwards, the origins of Sportstyle really began to emerge as more models were developed incorporating trail appropriate technology like ACS and Contagrip, but without compromising on aesthetics. Naturally, Salomon finds itself in a unique position whereby performance aspects are not sacrificed to achieve a marketable or wearable product but instead they carefully select colour palettes that appeal to a broader target audience. It’s unlikely you’d be able to identify a footwear brand that is able to pivot between contrasting consumers with such ease, but Salomon fits the bill: channelling their mountain-ready DNA into urban-focused styles without a compromise on functionality.

Nowadays, you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who either doesn’t own a pair or has thought about buying them.

For Spring/Summer ‘22, HHV welcomes in a plethora of styles like the XT-4, XT-6, XT-Wings 2, XA Pro 3D and X-Mission 4 in varying colourways, including White/Lunar Rock/Vanilla and Black/Black/Phantom, to name but a few. This offering does wonders to demonstrate Salomon Sportstyle’s versatility and their approach to marrying functional details with out-there colourways, so to speak. Each model will be equipped with proprietary footwear technology like Contagrip™ outsoles, Agile Chassis™ System and Quicklace.