(Shopping)
Stop What You’re Doing & Look At This Sandy Liang x Salomon Sneaker Collab
The shoes drop May 5.
Say the words “designer sneaker collab” to any style aficionado and the odds are their face will immediately light up. Over the past year alone, footwear partnerships between labels like Altuzarra and Keds, Danielle Guizio and Reebok, along with Wales Bonner and Adidas, have sent fashion girls on social media into a tizzy. If you’ve been waiting for a new limited-edition shoe to drop this season, your dreams will come true because a Sandy Liang and Salomon sneaker collaboration is coming soon. The duo are releasing two kicks, available to shop on May 5, that marry Liang’s signature nostalgic, playful designs with Salomon’s fan-favorite footwear silhouettes like the RX Moc 3.0 ($110) and XT-6 Expanse ($190).
The two brands formed a close relationship a few years back when Liang featured Salomon shoes in her namesake label’s Spring/Summer 2021 show. “Salomon has been a key component in completing my RTW looks for the runway during New York Fashion Week,” she tells TZR over email. “There is a sportiness to Salomon that resonates with me and fits perfectly with my RTW designs.” After much success from the brands’ NYFW partnership, it was only a matter of time before they joined forces to create sneakers of their own.
Liang says the collaboration felt very natural because of the duo’s shared design ethos: neither of the brands follow the fashion trend cycles and both remain true to their creative roots. The New York designer, for instance, finds influence for her clothes and accessories from her Queens upbringing, while the French sportswear company has been crafting high-quality performance gear for outdoor activities since 1947.
“During the design process, I wanted to stay true to both my own and Salomon’s identity to develop a capsule with new shapes and colorways, and push the boundaries of what people expect from Salomon,” the designer explains. Moreover, the creative looked to her ‘90s childhood, specifically an animated cartoon, for design inspiration. “I wanted to use the colors of Pokémon characters on these classic Salomon shapes.” Pokémon fans, you can probably guess who the characters are from the colors on the shoes, but Liang further confirms that she was inspired by Jigglypuff and Whimsicott. She adds, “We combined Cradle pink and Jolly green [hues] for a nostalgic, but contemporary version [on the XT-6 Expanse style].”
Do you need some outfit ideas on how to wear the quirky, Pokémon-inspired sneakers? Lucky for you, Liang is happy to share how she personally plans on styling the kicks once they’re available to shop. “Deep down, I love being comfortable and incorporating Salomon’s sporty footwear into my everyday outfits, pairing them with one of my pleated skorts or flowy dresses,” she says. Or, if you want to wear the shoes on a hike or on a stroll through your local park, a graphic tee and stretchy bike shorts will do the trick.
Though we’re still a few weeks away from the launch, it’s a smart idea to put a cal alert on your phone because these sneakers are too good to miss out on. As an extra precaution, bookmark this story, too, as TZR will update it with the sneakers to shop once they’re here. Patience, my friends!
