As Salomon’s Stylish All-Terrain Gear Proves, It's Much More Than Sneakers
Salomon, to many people, is a sneaker brand. To the sneaker-buying public, the French sportswear company is synonymous with its functional (and often very stylish) footwear, so it’s no surprise that the brand’s recent spike in popularity has much to do with its expansive selection of trail shoes.
However, the French sportswear label is so much more than just great footwear. And Salomon’s Spring/Summer 2025 Slate collection is a great example of that.
Created by Salomon’s Korean imprint, itself responsible for many beautifully shot campaigns presenting the full extent of Salomon’s stylish outdoor gear of late, sneakers play a mere footnote in this seasonal capsule collection. All the focus is on precision-engineered outdoor clothing.
In the shell-jacket department, an essential category for any serious outdoor collection, taped seams are exposed on the outside to create a stylistic statement that reiterates the jacket’s functional properties. Another design is less utilitarian, simply sporting a large graphic logo that's printed on its back.
Meanwhile, legwear includes hiking skirts playfully styled above technical pants as well as loose-fitting shorts. And there are fun accessories too: bags rendered in a crinkled-up silver fabric alongside puffy scarves and weather-resistant headwear.
Shot against the stunning quarries of Snowdonia, Wales, the collection is full of very functional stuff. However, it also presents a stylistic finesse. The graphic treatments, largely minimal color schemes, and streetwear-leaning styling of this drop suit those who want more than just performance from their outdoor clothing. This is stuff that’s consciously designed to appease the fashion-conscious world of gorpcore.
Salomon has already had a sizeable influence on the ongoing gorpcore trend through its sneakers — its XT-6 model, in particular, being an early favorite at the beginning of the outdoorsy movement. However, its influence has been largely contained to footwear until now.
With the brand imbuing a more fashionable bent into its clothing, both through this seasonal offering and its collaboration with MM6 Maison Margiela, which recently debuted its first ready-to-wear collection, Salomon is ensuring that the full breadth of its stylish all-terrain gear doesn’t go overlooked.
