The frenzy around the gorpcore trend may have cooled off in recent years, but utilitarian shoes are here to stay. Look no further than the persisting popularity of French sports equipment company Salomon, whose outdoor footwear remains a lifestyle staple thanks to curated color-ups and collaborations. The latter category will soon see a new addition courtesy of Italian menswear brand OAMC.
For its first link-up with Salomon, OAMC looked to the past, applying a retro hiking aesthetic to the otherwise modern build of the standard XT-Quest model. Colored in all black with hits of silver, the collaboration uses a reworked silhouette, layered paneling, chunky metal hardware and a mix of materials including leather, neoprene and textures synthetics. A product description says the shoe is intended to “connect authentic, nostalgic moments with the spirit of today’s enthusiasm for nature.”
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Further context reveals that OAMC was inspired by hiking the mountains of British Columbia. From a technical standpoint, the OAMC x Salomon XT-Quest features a 4D Advanced Chassis for support, an all-terrain Contragrip outsole for traction and the French brand’s Sensifit lacing system, which wraps the foot from the midsole.
Minimal in both its copy and marketing, OAMC and Salomon appear confident in letting the product do the heavy lifting for this collaboration.
OAMC was founded in 2013 by Luke Meier and Arnaud Faeh, who had previously worked at Supreme and Carhartt WIP, respectively. Originallwy named Over All Master Cloth, the label is now known simply by its initials. Past OAMC footwear collaborations have included dozens of experimental SKUs with Adidas.
The OAMC x Salomon XT-Quest will be released Thursday from salomon.com, oamc.com, brand stores and select retail partners. U.S. retail pricing is set at $210.
