Sandy Liang & Salomon's Second Collab Breaks New Girlcore Ground
Sandy Liang's Salomon shoes shook the internet when they released in summer 2023. They were just that good, that timely.
A year later, Liang and Salomon are poised to do it again for Fall/Winter 2024, dropping a pair of coquettish trail shoes that balance trail tech with balletcore. But this is not a retread — It's a vibe-shift.
First seen during Sandy Liang's FW24 runway show in early 2024, the New York designer's latest Salomon shoe collab was humbly revealed online (and swiftly removed) in mid-July, just barely a week before the sneakers' release date
Like the first instantly sold-out drop, Sandy Liang x Salomon FW24 tackles two disparate sneaker silhouettes: a technical trail shoe (the Salomon Speedcross 3 Ribbon Sandy Liang, $160) and an easy-on recovery moc (the Salomon RX MJ Sandy Liang, $150).
But, this time, Liang and Salomon are exploring beyond the boundaries that made their first collab a wildfire smash.
That first drop, which tackled encompassed Salomon's hit XT-6 trail sneaker and laceless RX Moc shoe, streamlined proven silhouettes with Liang's design language, retooling the shoes with pink hues and floral accents.
Cute, wearable, and perfectly uncomplicated that seemingly the entire sneaker-buying populace came out for the drop.
Meanwhile, Liang and Salomon's second team-up yields two more advanced styles. If the first collab was for all comers, this is a collab for the Sandy Liang lifers.
There most mass style is an incredibly appropriate Sandy Liang remix of Salomon's Mary Jane slip-on, a newish style released in the interim since her first collab.
Whereas Salomon's ridiculously popular in-line version is single-strapped, Liang doubles the foot security and lightens it up with a "Vanilla Ice" colorway, though there's also an equally classic black iteration for those who prefer their functional Mary Jane sneakers to be a bit more classique.
Either way, this shoe is a little spicier than the original mesh moc that Liang took on, a little more out-there.
And for the true believers keen to go all-in on Liang's vision of genreless girlcore, behold the designer's revamped Salomon Speedcross 3 sneaker.
This chunktastic shoe is so beefy that, despite being a low-top, it nearly hits above the ankle.
And, to make it even taller, Liang has swapped out the conventional laces for extra-long ribbon laces, anchored by bespoke metal eyelets. A little soft, a little hard.
This capsule, thus, feels like an evolution of the codes established by Liang's initial Salomon release, realized with comparatively challenging shoes.
Like, whereas Liang's Salomon Xt-4 was an approachable riff on a now-classic silhouette, Liang's Speedcross 3 is a darker, grungier shoe. It's balanced by the ribbon laces but still a more rough 'n tumble shoe.
This is a new era for the girlhood vibe that Liang is so intertwined with, and it's a little more provocative, a little experimental. It's still good stuff, yes, but perhaps not as broadly ingratiating as that first drop.
If that's true, though, so much the better for Liang's many adherents, who will snap up the FW24 Sandy Liang x Salomon sneakers when they hit Liang's website, the Highsnobiety web store and Berlin flagship store on July 18.
