The Glossy 50 honors the year’s biggest changemakers across fashion and beauty. More from the series →
You don’t have to walk a hiking trail to see Salomon’s popular XT-6 shoe in action. The edgy footwear was, in part, made popular by fashion enthusiasts and the rise of the Gorpcore aesthetic, a fashion style centered on sporty, outdoor clothing that has held on since the term was coined in 2017. As such, A-listers from EmRata to Bella Hadid and Lily Collins have all been spotted wearing versions of the popular shoe brand.
This year, Salomon bet big on increasing its awareness in the states, which is currently around 6%, according to Steve Doolan, the brand’s president of the Americas since October 2023. Previously, Doolan worked at Hoka in various roles across marketing and business development.
“The discovery and the sharing of things that you’re excited about is a powerful human emotion,” Doolan said. “For me, Salomon is this great undiscovered gem I have the privilege … of sharing more broadly across the U.S.”
Collaborations have been key to increasing the brand’s awareness. In 2023, Salomon released a product collaboration with Sandy Liang, and this year, the brand worked with luxury brands MM6 Maison Margiela, Commes des Garcons and Aries.
But slow and steady growth has been the focus. “We’re not building a really tall, skinny skyscraper — we’re building a pyramid,” Doolan said. “[We’re focused on going] one brick wider and then one taller to create something that won’t erode,”
In June, Salomon announced Nordstrom as a retail partner. For the launch, the brand and the retailer worked together to create a capsule collection highlighting Salomon’s two popular Sportstyle sneaker models: the XT-6 and the ACS + OG. The limited-edition shoes are available in select Nordstrom stores and online. And in October, Salomon opened its first U.S. Sportstyle concept store in New York City.
“There’s nothing we’re going to do that’s like a magic thing,” Doolan said. “It’s literally as simple as it sounds: It’s doing the work. We’re building relationships with the right individuals who are gonna tell our brand story, whether that’s an influencer, our retailers or through PR. We’re focused on expanding our reach and telling our brand story through these channels.”
Doolan said a key partnership for Salomon this year was with reggaeton artist Feid, who has over 14.4 million Instagram followers. The artist wore custom Salomons at the Latin Grammys in November while accepting his first-ever Grammy award for Best Reggaeton Performance. To date, the post has over two million likes.
A combination of organic and strategic moments has helped strengthen the brand’s positioning this year, Doolan said. Next year, continuing to cultivate the brand’s U.S. community and its lifestyle branding will be top priorities.
In November, Salomon’s parent company Amer Sports, which also owns Arc-Teryx and Wilson, reported a third-quarter 2024 revenue increase of 17% to $1.35 billion. Its outdoor performance category, which includes Salomon, saw a boost of 8% to $534 million.
