Salomon is understood for his or her path trainers. Go to any path race, and it’ll doubtless be the model most worn by athletes. They’re the main path working model in spite of everything. However prior to now 2 years, Salomon footwear began to look in a unique atmosphere: town. You possibly can spot them within the hip Mile-Finish neighborhood of Montreal, in probably the most fashionable sneaker boutique or on Paris style runway.
We travelled to Salomon HQ in Annecy to be taught extra in regards to the phenomenon and meet the staff behind their style footwear assortment. And there couldn’t have been a greater time to go to, our journey was proper through the Paris Style Present the place Salom hosted an ephemeral showroom & the Marathon du Mont-Blanc which Salomon sponsors. Buckle up!
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Salomon HQ
However first, a little bit of historical past. Salomon was based in 1947 in Annecy, within the French Alps. It was purchased by Adidas in 1997 after which by Amer Sports activities in 2005. Amazingly, Salomon now 700+ staff HQ continues to be in Annecy, a small city with a inhabitants of solely 125 000.
Did we are saying Annecy was lovely?
It turned clear throughout our journey how shut the corporate is to its French Alps heritage. They stored all through the years a moderately centered product lineup evolving across the Alps prime sports activities: ski & run. This was taken subsequent to the doorway of Salomon HQ.
Salomon designs, prototypes and assessments all their merchandise in Annecy. This workshop fabricates all Salomon merchandise but in addition some Arc’teryx and Wilson gear.
We met very passionate folks right here. Very keen to point out us round, very cool!
Alex Harvey skis are made right here!
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Considered one of Salomon’s keys to success is how shut they work with a number of the world’s prime athletes comparable to Kilian Jornet. That is the very first S/lab Sense constructed for Killian for the 2012 Western States 100, a legendary race in California. The Salomon S/Lab Sense is now among the finest promoting footwear for Salomon.
Salomon can be making an enormous push on highway working. Be careful for his or her spring 19 assortment, it’s simply wow!
Residing in Annecy has its perks. A 5 to 7 hike anybody?
Salomon Life-style Assortment
What we have been actually trying to see is all the Salomon way of life assortment. We travelled through the Paris Style when Salomon had an ephemeral showroom with all their newest assortment.
Salomon’s journey within the style world started 3 years in the past when a shopper entered in The Damaged Arm, a luxurious style boutique in Paris, carrying a pair of Salomon Snowcross. The Damaged Arm house owners have been captivated and supplied to purchase the Snowcross from the shopper! This lead Salomon to provide its first-ever collab.
Salomon began to do extra collabs most notoriously with dressmaker Boris Bidjan Saberi.
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In October 2016 Salomon employed Jean-Philippe Lalonde to run the efforts. Jean-Philippe is a Québécois who labored beforehand at Ciele and Arc’teryx Veilance. He additionally has a Grasp in Advertising and marketing from HEC Montréal the place he studied the sneaker tradition in New York and began the East Laurier Working Membership when working membership wasn’t a factor. His Linkedin now adequately reads: “bridging the hole between technical out of doors footwear and the world of style.” Amen.
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There’s an actual sense that Salomon is reaching new heights in style. Ralph Lauren usually wears them, GQ printed a bit in February, different style publications comparable to Highsnobiety now usually showcase them or you’ll be able to see them on runways like Marine Serre Fall 18 style present. As JP places it “Path trainers aren’t any flash within the pan. One thing is rising… Its personal determine within the city market.”
The Salomon Black Version is a brand new colorway tackle Salomon’s hottest S/Lab assortment.
Jean-Philippe works in a small group in Salomon’s Annecy HQ. We see right here design supervisor Ryan Lamont, who materializes Jean-Philippe’s imaginative and prescient into designs, and product supervisor Maël Hochet; her position is to bridge the design effort with the manufacturing facility in Asia.
Dropping in early August: a collab with Fulfill, a premium designer model specialised in working attire and designed in Paris. Comply with us on Instagram to know when they are going to be obtainable.
One other drop in early September: the Superior assortment. A tackle the Salomon S/Lab XT 6. Comply with us on Instagram to know when they are going to be obtainable.
Marathon du Mont-Blanc
Our subsequent cease is to Chamonix to cowl the Marathon du Mont-Blanc, the second leg of the brand new Golden Path Sequence. The six-event collection consists of iconic races in Spain, Switzerland, USA, Scotland and South Africa, and have shorter distances, dwell streaming and prize cash to make the game extra accessible for followers.
Most of all, the race reunites the world’s prime athletes comparable to Killian Jornet who returns to competitors after he broke his fibula throughout a ski race.
Chamonix sits in a valley between extremely steep mountains, certainly one of which is the Mont-Blanc, Europe’s highest peak. What a view!
Path working in Europe feels greater than in Canada. The weekend brings 10K runners, most distances being absolutely booked upfront. Right here is the VK, a really steep race with an gathered peak acquire of 1 km. The winner completed in 34 minutes.
Different races embrace the 10K, 23K, 90K and the Duo Étoilé, a race ran at night time in pairs.
However the true draw is the 42km on Sunday the place 2000 athletes be a part of the elite.
Salomon is main the world market in path working. Will not be exhausting to seek out proof in the beginning line. The elite all put on Salomon Modular Shorts and S/Lab footwear, largely Sense, Speedcross or customized footwear.
Climbing within the French Alps is such a deal with. We couldn’t go away with out hitting the path!
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Bye Chamonix and thank you Salomon for the expertise.
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