While many lifestyle brands are almost puritanical in their pursuit of cool these days, Salomon’s ascent to cult status could be described as a happy accident. Founded by François Salomon in 1947 in the French alpine town of Annecy, the business originally specialised in making the metal edges that screwed onto wooden skis during the early days of alpine skiing, before progressing on to more technical ski innovations, hiking boots and trail running shoes.

Fast-forward to 2024 and the outdoor brand’s famously ‘ugly’ aesthetic has appeared everywhere – from fashion week runways to the feet of celebs such as Rihanna – who made her now iconic pregnancy announcement during her 2023 Super Bowl performance while wearing a pair of bright red MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon Cross Low sneakers.

The origins of Salomon’s journey to gorpcore royalty can be traced back to 2013 with the launch of its hugely popular XT-6 model. Originally designed for long-distance trails, the trainer unexpectedly found an organic following among a youth audience in France. This phenomenon was swiftly noted by Parisian boutique The Broken Arm, which has since become one of the brand’s regular collaborators.