Source: https://www.salomon.com/us/
Project + Exec is a new series where I’ve decided to seek out footwear executives who are minorities (Black, Latino, Indian, Native American, Asian men and women) who are doing some dope work, but are being overlooked by the larger media outlets. It’s my small part. I really hope you look more into the brands and people behind them.
9 times out of 10 if I walked down the street and asked the average person what is Salomon, they would either say a king from the Bible, or a fish that swims upstream. People who aren’t deep into performance running, trail shoes, or alternative sports like skiing or triathlons, would need a lot of context before realizing that Salomon is a performance footwear company. As much as adidas is popular today, if I asked someone what adidas-Salomon was, they wouldn’t have any idea. adidas acquired Salomon in the 90s for a billion dollars. adidas sold Salomon after the brand underperformed. The sale which took place in 2005 to Amer Sports made way for adidas to purchase Reebok. Salomon a French company started by a family in Annecy, France has seen incredible growth and considerable loss. The adidas sale came in at around 500 Million roughly half of the original purchase price.
Another important part of this is that Amer Sports is a group that holds a number of companies in its portfolio. I often think that when a group owns a company as a part of a portfolio that the brands tend to be grouped together and given the same amount of interest which leads to sub-brands that aren’t highly valued. It should be noted that Amer Sports has doubled in value in the last ten years. Salomon however still operates a niche operation in footwear. In comparison to a company like Nike or adidas, there isn’t a comparison. It would be better to look at Salomon in reference to Newton, Hoka One One or Inov8. All brands that if I asked someone on the street about, they would think Isaac, Hawaiian dance move and making stuff (I put at least one corny joke in these… get used to it).
At a time when performance footwear is taking a back seat to lifestyle options the category of performance, along with the outdoor category, are taking a hit. Salomon, like a number of smaller brands, is looking at the option of crossing over into lifestyle. I’ve long said that performance is lifestyle because most of the retro items being sold today were originally high performance products in the past. The problem with Salomon is there really isn’t a retro catalog to look at as a potential crossover item that could generate interest with more style conscious people familiar with the brand. Recently the brand did launch a series of boots that had considerable crossover appeal, that also stayed true to their performance roots. Below is the Bamba 1. The shoe can move beyond hiking and performance easily, but the options for lifestyle within Salomon are limited.
Enter Brent James. Full disclosure it’s a known fact that MFA’s run together and although I’m an MFA this isn’t just me shouting out a peer. Besides, Brent is an MFA in Industrial Design. I’m an MFA in Creative Writing; see… no bias, lol. Seriously, Brent is another Project + Exec from the tree that is PENSOLE. Brent has made several stops before uprooting and moving to France to work with Salomon as their Product Line Manager in Road Running. When I approached Brent about the Project + Exec category I explained that the reason for the articles is to establish that there are minorities working in a considerable capacity in footwear. While minorities are often overlooked for positions like Product Line Manager, especially in non-traditional performance categories like skiing and hiking, Brent has attained his position after successful stops at The North Face and Under Armour. Brent had to uproot his family and move to France to take on this position and he states clearly that the goal is to be more than a running and performance footwear company:
Salomon, as a brand, is definitely beginning to reach beyond performance product.We are hoping to build on our momentum in the fashion world. Salomon is using design to help connect with consumers in a more authentic way to accelerate the growth of the running category. The landscape of running is rapidly evolving and brands must evolve with the sport. One of the key drivers is a change in what motivates people to run. In the past the conversation has been solely focused on competition or achieving a goal. Now runners use their strides as a way to balance their lives, freeing their minds from the day-to-day grind. At SALOMON, we want to enable runners to see running as play rather than a chore.
Unlike most sportswear companies who look at lifestyle and attempt to create with lifestyle as the goal, Salomon is looking at lifestyle as the by product of a healthy lifestyle. Which leads to my thoughts.
My Analysis
Brent has a big task in front of him. The running and performance category is shifting quickly as alternative sports are becoming a lot more prominent. While the brand has hiking in line already, running as the sport of choice for fitness is no longer the popular option. Running does have the social element and it’s a sport anyone can do which has always been the appeal, but when a brand looks at the lifestyle market as a growth area they are looking at the unstable and uncertain element of fashion in footwear. While companies bring in analysts to look at data and trends, fashion is not capable of being analyzed in a traditional sense via POS data. Fashion may look to the next season, but what informs that next season is often the street and the underground scenes. We are no longer in a time where the catwalk tells you what is cool. Social media and movements shape cool and cool changes as the wind blows. Which is why Brent’s look at performance running informing fashion in a better way is exciting to me.
To reach a new market brands have to find a way to connect to new fans while maintaining the relationships with the crowd that trusts them with their footwear. The Bamba by Boris Bidjan Saberi was a natural alignment for a brand looking to access the high end fashion arena. It’s a great looking boot, but to capture the running as lifestyle market Salomon will have to look less technical while still remaining technical. Their Sonic RA Pro is a strong running shoe, but design aesthetics are lacking which means that the running category will have a difficult time crossing over.
No one is taking the Sonic out on a date or to casual Friday. If the VIBE and OPAL Technology is given a more textured look on the sidewall of the midsole and the tongue and collar are given a more on-trend socklike fit while also implementing elements of traditional running in a lightweight suede and mesh the shoe becomes more casual while still maintaining its performance heritage.
Will Salomon get to where they are trying to go? The brand is utilizing storytelling on the site via video which is an excellent start. That classic story telling, a video on Gordy Ainsleigh from 1974, or a series about hiking with Kalen Thorien that will be live streamed is a solid approach to marketing. The problem will be establishing a community via content hosted directly on the site. They will also have to implement more visual points focused on style as opposed to performance solely. I think they can make it happen if Brent takes a similar approach to creating campaigns as he did with Under Armour (Designed the 1st style to sell 1 million pairs in a calendar year in brand history), then Salomon definitely has a chance to earn a share on the fashion side. Whatever happens ARCH wishes Brent and Salomon well moving forward.
Source: https://www.salomon.com/us/