The Story of Solomon
Mít Hạnh
Jun 12, 2023
(Magazine) - From a small business selling outdoor ski equipment to a luxury shoe brand, Salomon has made a huge leap in its career with high-tech running shoes. Founded in 1947 in Annecy, France – an Alpine lakeside town with canals and peach-hued palaces – Salomon was a technical leader selling ski equipment and then ski clothing and apparel, pivoting to footwear in the early 1990s. With its rugged sneakers that people use for trail running, Salomon has always been built around function over fashion. But in the past five years, Salomon has been spotted on the feet of Kanye West and Rihanna, and has been praised by fashion blogs from Highsnobiety to Hypebeast for collaborations with brands ranging from Tokyo-based And Wander to London-based Palace Skateboards. Despite being part of the Chinese-owned sportswear giant Amer, Salomon is as popular with stylists and sneakerheads as it is with Nordic skiers and Alpine trail runners. Salomon’s evolution has been a difficult journey, trying to meet the needs of a new audience while staying true to the brand’s core values. History of formation The Salomon story is really one of engineering and innovation, stretching back to before the Second World War, when François Salomon was making saw blades in a small workshop at home. After the war, when tourism started up again and skiers returned to the mountains, François saw his opportunity. But it was his son, Georges, who really got the business going. Georges came up with two game-changing ideas in the 1950s, when skiers were still using fixed leather straps as bindings, which often resulted in broken bones when their feet twisted with skis stuck. The first was the removable ‘Skade’ binding, which was attached to the toe of the boot; the second was a system he called ‘Le lift’, which allowed the bindings to release in the event of a hard impact. In 1979, Salomon focused on ski boots with the SX91 - considered the most influential ski boot of all time. In the 1990s, Salomon began producing skis and Alpine hiking boots. François acquired American golf manufacturer TaylorMade, whose founder Gary Adams designed the world's first metal driver, for production. Salomon was acquired by Adidas in 1997 and then sold to Chinese sportswear giant Amer Sports in 2005, when Adidas moved into ski equipment and clothing. At the time, Salomon was also famous for its shoes, worn by world-class trail runner Kilian Jornet Burgada, who has climbed Everest, the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc in the fastest time. More than 1 million pairs of the Speedcross shoes he wears are sold in Europe every year. Step into the fashion world Until 2015, Salomon and fashion were seemingly unrelated. But the story goes that one day a customer walked into The Broken Arm, an influential Parisian streetwear store, and asked for a pair of Salomon Snowcross boots, even though they were designed for snow, not street wear. That laid the groundwork for the Salomon-The Broken Arm collaboration. “It was a game-changer, but it was all very accidental,” says Salomon’s global brand expert, Alex van Oostrum. A series of seemingly surprising collaborations followed, starting in early 2016 with German menswear designer Boris Bidjan Saberi, known for his use of technical materials, redesigning the iconic Speedcross 3 trail running shoe. With demand for lifestyle shoes on the rise, Jean-Philippe Lalonde joined Veilance, the fashion arm of Canadian outdoor brand Arc'teryx, that same year. His brief was to create a new sportswear style at Salomon that incorporated streetwear . Jean-Philippe then created shoes that largely kept the core designs, but added bolder lines. The Sportstyle team grew to 12 people, but remained a small part of Salomon's product portfolio, which still included a wide range of running, hiking, and skiing gear. But this lifestyle arm is the fastest growing part of the business, and according to Alex, this group has a huge impact on brand awareness. (Salomon Speedcross 3) In 2018, Salomon had a showroom at Paris Men's Fashion Week, marking the full entry of Salomon into the fashion world. (Salomon enters the fashion industry) And that is how Salomon gradually conquered fans in particular and the fashion world in general. It was a long journey full of surprises that perhaps even Salomon and his father did not expect. If you are interested in the product, please contact The Lucky Star immediately via: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theluckystar.vn Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/theluckystar.vn
How did sneaker culture take over the world?
Mít Hạnh
Jun 4, 2023
(Magazine) - As depicted in Ben Affleck's film Air, here's how Michael Jordan and Nike's iconic shoes - Air Jordans - turned sneaker culture into a $79 billion industry. ( Air Jordan 1 High OG 'Chicago Lost & Found' ) Sneakers have come a long way since they were first invented in 1860s England for the upper classes to play croquet and tennis. Long used for function rather than fashion, sneakers today contain a culture. As the Ben Affleck-starring film Air depicts, the emergence of sneaker culture can be traced back to Nike’s 1984 collaboration with basketball superstar Michael Jordan on their iconic Air Jordans. The film is a story about sneakers and sneakerheads. Air Jordans and the Rise of Sneaker Culture Most sneakerheads credit the birth of their culture to the rise of athletic shoes worn by athletes in the late 70s and early 80s. Converse's Chuck Taylor All-Stars dominated basketball courts for decades, and brands like Puma and Adidas began to join in, making the field even more exciting. (MJ wearing Air Jordan 1s in a Washington Bullets game in November 1985) (Member of rap group Run-DMC and Adidas Superstar shoes) What really turned sneaker culture into a phenomenon was the release of the Air Jordan 1 by Nike in 1985. In 1984, Michael Jordan - a talented rookie who had never played professionally - signed a $2.5 million endorsement deal with Nike for 5 years and truly changed sneaker culture. Sneaker culture also began to spread beyond the basketball court when influential hip-hop group Run-DMC released the single “My Adidas” in 1986. It earned the group their first endorsement deal with the brand. Soon after, Kurt Cobain of grunge band Nirvana made Converse a symbol of rebellion and youth. (Skateboarder wearing Vans Sk8-Hi shoes at Venice Beach. These iconic Vans have been a favorite of the skateboarding community since they debuted in 1978) (Muslims and sneakers) gather at Brixton Mosque for Friday prayers) When sneakers truly become an icon As sneakers became more popular, footwear companies collaborated with celebrities and luxury brands and released limited edition shoes. Rare sneakers were sought after by sneakerheads and the sneaker market flourished. Artists like Rihanna, Travis Scott, and Kanye West have been instrumental in spreading sneaker culture for nearly a decade through their iconic brand collaborations. (Tibetan Buddhist monks with colorful sneakers with worn soles) In mid-2010, sneakers became a literal fashion statement, as Drake commissioned a pair of one-of-a-kind Air Jordans encased in solid 24-karat gold. The $2.1 million sneakers were estimated to weigh 50 pounds each. (Drake's 24-carat solid gold sneakers) What is sneaker culture really? Decades after their first introduction to the fashion industry, sneakers are finally being recognized as a part of human cultural heritage, especially the way people of color have shaped that heritage. Of course, Michael Jordan is one of them. Today, more than 100 million pairs of Air Jordan 1s have been sold worldwide. In April 2023, the shoes worn by Jordan during his final NBA season sold for $2.2 million, becoming the most expensive pair of sneakers ever sold at auction. (Fabo Nguyen shares about his passion for sports shoes) But the sneaker market is still very much in disarray, with only 5% of sneaker retailers in the United States being people of color. Allen-Lord said sneaker culture has also allowed her to “create space and opportunity for creative people, especially women, to come into the sneaker industry.” And the more people who participate, the richer the story around sneakers becomes. With a new and bold reception among young people, “ground culture” has had the opportunity to land in Vietnam, quickly becoming a trend and being welcomed by young people. Communities and groups dedicated to sneaker lovers have been established, creating a healthy playground for young people. In the future, The Lucky Star is sure that this culture will develop even more strongly. If you are interested in the product, please contact The Lucky Star immediately via: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theluckystar.vn Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/theluckystar.vn
