Salomon in Motion

Salomon started where performance mattered most, it was for those with mountains to climb, trails to conquer, and weather to battle. Now? They’re just as likely to be spotted weaving through city streets, outside fashion shows, or worn on the school run by someone who knows how to win at the style stakes.

What makes Salomon different is that this shift didn’t come with a reinvention arc. No glossy relaunch. No desperate bid for cult status. Salomon shoes simply started turning up in the right places, on the right people, worn for the same reason they always have been. They just work. The streetwear scene and fashion insiders caught on late, but once they did, Salomon didn’t slip back under the radar. Suddenly, performance footwear moved from functional choice to the focal point of the outfit.

Somewhere along the way, function became fashionable. Utility stopped needing justification. Technical details once reserved for the trail began making sense on pavements too. What would later be labelled as gorpcore (the use of hiking, trail, and outdoor performance clothing as everyday wear) wasn’t a trend Salomon chased, it was a space the brand had already been operating in for decades.

That is how silhouettes like the Salomon XT-6 moved from functional kit to outfit centrepiece. Not a trend piece or an ironic flex, but the anti-sneaker sneaker. Practically, technically, and quietly. 

This is where silhouettes like the Salomon Speedcross came into play. Aggressive soles, technical uppers, zero interest in looking “nice”. These were Salomon trainers chosen by runners, mountain athletes and rescue teams because they worked when conditions didn’t. Slippery paths, steep climbs, weather doing its worst. Style was irrelevant, reliability was everything, figures like Tom Owens, a British ultra-distance trail runner known for racing extreme mountain distances, wore early Speedcross models while competing at the highest levels, reinforcing Salomon’s reputation as a brand chosen for performance rather than appearance.

Looking back, this era reads like Salomon’s anti-fashion training ground. The designs were bold because they had to be, not because they were trying to stand out. Nobody was styling these shoes. They were earning their keep. That performance-first mindset is what later caught the attention of designers, stylists, and the streetwear scene.

As Salomon’s footprint grew beyond the Alps in the late ‘90s, the brand entered a new phase of global expansion. Backed by adidas during this period, Salomon was able to scale its research, refine its footwear systems, and reach a wider audience without diluting its technical focus. Rather than softening the brand, the increased infrastructure allowed Salomon to double down on innovation, reinforcing a product-first mindset that would later underpin its most recognisable trail silhouettes.

The Salomon XT-6 wasn't designed with street style stars in mind. It launched in 2013 for long-distance trail runners. The kind of people who count kilometres for fun and consider “comfortable” a non-negotiable. Lightweight, stable and built to survive serious mileage; the XT-6 was engineered to perform when legs, terrain, and weather all start pushing back. Designed at a time when trail running itself was still carving out global recognition, the XT-6 was built for endurance culture long before fashion ever entered the conversation.

Even as the XT-6 began appearing beyond the trail, Salomon’s performance credentials remained firmly intact. Elite athletes such as Kilian Jornet, a mountain runner and ski mountaineer known for extreme alpine endurance. Courtney Dauwalter, an ultra-distance runner dominant across the world’s toughest races. François D’Haene, a specialist in long-distance mountain ultra events. They all continued to rely on the brand in some of the most demanding endurance environments in the world. Pushing distance, terrain and resilience far beyond anything fashion could replicate. It was a reminder that while style was catching on, Salomon shoes were still being proven where trust and control actually mattered.

For a few years, that’s exactly where it stayed. On trails. In mud. Then, somewhere around 2017, it started turning up in unexpected places. Outside fashion shows. In street style shots. On the feet of stylists and editors who had clearly had enough of retro trainers and wanted something that actually worked.

By the late 2010s, the XT-6 had quietly become fashion’s most practical flex. Worn repeatedly by figures like Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski in off-duty, everyday settings, it stopped feeling like a niche performance shoe and started reading as an informed choice. Not styled for attention, not rotated out after a season; just worn.

By 2019, the shift was undeniable. Salomon trainers were no longer a left-field choice. They were the clever one. The XT-6, in particular, hit a sweet spot visually. Technical without being try-hard, sharp without shouting, and just “wrong” enough to feel right.

Recognition from fashion media soon followed, with the XT-6 widely praised for blurring the line between performance technology and modern style, cementing its status beyond the trail. The important part? The shoe didn’t change. Salomon shoes stayed exactly as they were designed to be. What changed was the context. Fashion finally caught up to performance, and the XT-6 became the anti-sneaker sneaker by doing absolutely nothing differently. Details like Salomon’s signature Quicklace system became part of that visual language too, instantly recognisable without ever needing a logo.

When Salomon does collaborations, it doesn’t lose its head. There’s no logo overload, no awkward fashion makeover, no sudden identity crisis. Instead, it picks its partners carefully and stays firmly in its own lane, which is exactly why the results work.

Collaborations with COMME des GARÇONS and Maison Margiela didn’t try to turn Salomon into something it isn’t. The silhouettes stayed technical, the construction stayed serious, and the performance DNA remained intact. Fashion did not dilute Salomon. It met it head-on.

Long before performance footwear became fashionable shorthand, designers and tastemakers like Virgil Abloh had already engaged with Salomon’s design language, recognising its technical honesty rather than treating it as a novelty. These partnerships mattered because they proved something important. Salomon wasn’t being invited into fashion as a trend. It was there because its design already made sense.

Salomon’s appeal now goes well beyond one hero shoe. While icons like the XT-6 remain touchstones, the brand’s broader archive, from trail specialists to hybrid Sportstyle lines, feels just as relevant off-road as it does in everyday wear. These Salomon shoes aren’t rotated in and out seasonally; they get worn, tested and kept. This endurance speaks to a design philosophy rooted in performance but adopted for life.

That grounded, built-to-do-things approach is what distinguishes Salomon from other trail-inspired labels. In a culture obsessed with novelty, Salomon’s focus on function (quietly reframed as style) keeps it relevant without chasing trends.