L'Art de L'Automobile & Salomon's Trail Shoes Riff on a ‘90s Racecar (EXCLUSIVE)
KAR / L'Art de L'Automobile has infused Salomon’s speed-oriented trail running shoes with the essence of a legendary speed-oriented race car: the Porsche 911 GT1. And they come together to create some seriously good-looking sneakers.
The Porsche 911 GT1 is a fittingly iconic (and slightly niche) car for KAR / L'Art de L'Automobile, a brand that grew from a dealership specializing in rare vintage cars, to reference.
In 1998, the car won 24 Hours of Le Mans, an annual endurance race taking place for the 92nd time this weekend, and is an important piece of racing heritage — the original Le Mans-winning 911 GT1 race car is now housed in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
The race car has informed L'Art's upgrades of Salomon’s XT-4 and Speedcross 3 models (and features as a prop in the campaign to reveal the shoes).
The eye-catching red, blue, and white color scheme on both sneakers references the lines that cover the Porsche 911 GT1 and the colors of the French flag — L'Art and Salomon are French companies, after all.
More car-inspired touches are dotted around the shoe, such as gold detailing inspired by the BBS racing wheels from the 911 GT1 and insoles that form the silhouette of the race car when placed next to each other.
The Porsche-loving sneakers arrive as part of a larger KAR / L'Art de L'Automobile collection (including T-shirts and matching tracksuits inspired by Le Mans racing) via the brand's website on June 14 and at select retailers on June 18.
Then, following the online release, L'Art and Salomon's new sneakers are making their way to Paris for Men’s Fashion Week, available for a limited time at the new Salomon Sportstyle concept store, situated in Le Marais.
This marks the second time that L'Art de L'Automobile, a fashion brand and car garage founded by Porsche collector Arthur Kar, has linked up with Salomon.
The first time was a very colorful take on the ACS Pro Advanced over two years ago and it’s following those sneakers up with a collaboration that's equally colorful and, from my perspective, equally beautiful.
