China’s outdoor craze is surging wave after wave, with the State General Administration of Sports predicting that the domestic outdoor gear market will grow to 240 billion RMB yuan by 2025.
Beyond scaling, outdoor sports are also becoming more segmented, with niche mountain activities like trail running and climbing attracting more non-professional enthusiasts, thus accelerating the growth of related brands.
French outdoor brand Salomon is a representative brand experiencing explosive growth from niche outdoor sports to urban streetwear amid the outdoor sports craze.
From the viral XA PRO 3D/XT-QUEST to last year’s hard-to-find XT-6, to this year’s newly launched trail running shoe Speedcross 3, the frequently sensational products from Salomon prompt reflection: What has the brand done right? How does it keep up with the successive waves of outdoor enthusiasm?
- Focusing on mountain sports, reshaping outdoor aesthetics
- Maintaining outdoor professionalism, not just “hype”
- How to solidify a high-end position at the retail end?
- Focusing on mountain sports, reshaping outdoor aesthetics
Focusing on Mountain Sports, Reshaping Outdoor Aesthetics
Trail running, hiking, city walking… More and more people are adopting the outdoors as a lifestyle and even a spiritual support, driving the rapid growth of outdoor brands and industries. At the same time, outdoor aesthetics are being reshaped and iterated.
In March, Salomon officially launched the Speedcross 3, and concurrently held the Speedcross 3 “Wildland” pop-up event in Beijing’s Sanlitun. In April, the pop-up event moved to Shanghai Xintiandi, repeatedly boosting the brand’s visibility.
The Speedcross 3 quickly became a hot topic in the trend-sneaker circle, not only because of its return nearly ten years later but also because it displayed a new style blending “urban” and “wilderness,” “hardcore” and “lightweight.”
The Speedcross 3 continues a series of signature designs: the aggressive large-tooth design of the Contagrip® sole, an integrated upper and midsole, featuring a W-shaped mountain stripe throughout the shoe. This year’s reissue not only brought back the classic “lava” colorway but also introduced six other colors like “flamingo,” “midnight ice blue,” and “mist white.”
From top to bottom, the Speedcross 3 colorways are: “Flamingo”, “Lava”, “Midnight Ice Blue”, “Misty Green Peak”, and “Flint Black”.
The Speedcross series is Salomon’s most iconic core product as a professional outdoor trail running brand, and it marks the starting point of the brand’s transformation into a “fashion favorite.”
Originally created for rough, muddy, and complex mountain terrains, the Speedcross series debuted in 2006. By 2008, it was worn by Kilian Jornet to win the UTMB championship, and by 2013, sales of the series had exceeded one million pairs.
Inspired by off-road motorcycle tires, this series features the iconic oversized cleat Contagrip® soles.
Driven by its trail running functional DNA, the pioneering style of the Speedcross series was accidentally discovered by the avant-garde French boutique The Broken Arm in 2015, marking the entry of the Speedcross series, and indeed the entire Salomon brand, into the trend circle.
The dual OG attributes of trail running and trend-setting laid the foundation for the current success of the Speedcross 3.
Earlier, Salomon successfully transitioned from the mountains to urban fashion by reissuing classic shoes like the XT-6.
Founded in 1947, Salomon started with ski equipment and expanded into hiking boots and trail running shoes in the 1990s, with the mountains ingrained in the brand’s DNA.
Today, Salomon is building a mountain lifestyle on its professional trail DNA, expanding the “from trail to fashion” style of the Sportstyle line across the brand.
From the Speedcross 3 to the XT-6, most classic models in the Sportstyle line retain important core technologies during updates, without compromising features, and further enhance their fashion characteristics through color and design. With “light outdoors” and “hardcore technology” coexisting, function and aesthetics merge, Salomon has successfully shaped its unique trend and outdoor aesthetics, entering the view of more consumers.
In the combination of outdoor fields and trend circles, Salomon is among the first brands to explore this fusion. From the Speedcross to the Sportstyle line, and now the mountain lifestyle represented by the Speedcross 3, Salomon has broken through professional circles to attract a broader clientele, with product innovation and iteration becoming the brand’s prerequisites for continuing to lead market trends.
The boundaries between professional sports and fashion trends are further blurred, an important reason being that the professional DNA and advantages of sports brands can nourish trends, endowing a pair of running shoes with more added value and imagination in the trend circle, thus truly affecting the lifestyle of young people.
Maintaining Outdoor Professionalism, Not Just “Hype”
As the outdoor craze sweeps through, consumer preferences are also changing. For brands, it is particularly important to keep abreast of market trends and continuously update interaction methods with consumers.
From celebrity collaborations to social media matrixes, Salomon actively lays out new channels and methods for communicating with contemporary consumers.
At the Shanghai Xintiandi pop-up event, Salomon invited brand friend and actor Sun Yang to the scene, embodying the wild power of the Speedcross 3 “mist white” colorway. Previously, he also participated in the filming of Salomon’s “Wild Rebel” promotional film, where his role as a desperado in his breakout film “All In” left a deep impression, making him an ideal choice to embody the theme of “untamed nature.”
As a street and sneaker culture enthusiast, he is also a collector of Salomon running shoes and has a following of young fans with similar interests and beliefs. The Speedcross 3 and Salomon’s Sportstyle style will also be communicated to a broader audience through him.
Brand friend and actor Sun Yang showcases the Speedcross 3 in Misty White colorway.
In the general trend circle, Salomon approaches through styling, collaborating with the Little Red Book platform’s trend IP “Trend Black Guide” for marketing partnerships, featuring stars for launches, and collaborating with various style KOLs to create a “fashionable wild path” Speedcross 3 styling guide, allowing more trend enthusiasts to see the fashion performance of the Speedcross 3 in actual outfits. Meanwhile, paired with Little Red Book’s classic KFS strategy, quality notes are continuously pushed to a precise audience in a racehorse fashion, with meticulous search word targeting further intercepting interested groups, achieving effective marketing.
The demand of consumers is pushing professional running shoes more into fashion outfits, and the industry is pleased to see the trendification of professional running shoes.
Although the fashionability of the Speedcross 3 is undeniable, Salomon still maintains its “original intention,” proclaiming the slogan “untamed nature” for the Speedcross 3. This not only represents the uncompromising appearance and technology of the Speedcross 3 but also conveys the brand philosophy and attitude to young consumers: never subdued by mountains or swayed by trends, embodying an unshakeable self.
As trends change rapidly, for Salomon, the goal is not the “explosion” of a single shoe model, but to maintain a perennial foundation—outdoor professionalism. On this basis, Salomon considers how to make more people see and love trail running, skiing, and other professional sports. Fashion may be one pathway, but more importantly, Salomon sketches a “mountain outdoor” lifestyle through emotional and spiritual connections, aligning with the free and unrestrained lifestyle young consumers yearn for.
How to Solidify High-End Positioning at the Retail End?
In offline retail, Salomon also shapes and spreads its high-end brand image through creating unique experiences.
During the Shanghai Speedcross 3 “Wild Land” pop-up event (April 26-29), Salomon showcased the “wild” nature of the Speedcross 3 with an immersive experience: the “Wild Shoe Store” area’s exterior spherical space mimicked the iconic ear-tooth imprint of the Speedcross 3, presenting a rugged lava surface, vividly simulating an outdoor adventure scene and atmosphere. Swedish avant-garde art group Encor Studio created a mechanical art installation that provided a multi-dimensional sensory experience through lighting, projections, and smoke.
Notably, the venue of this pop-up event will soon see the opening of the Salomon Xintiandi Pioneer Concept Store in Shanghai in the second half of this year.
Amer Sports, Salomon’s parent company and a Finnish sporting goods group, released its full-year financial report for 2023 in March. It noted that the Outdoor Performance division, where Salomon operates, saw an 18% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.67 billion, with Greater China being one of the main growth markets. It stated, “Salomon’s footwear products have growth opportunities in Greater China,” and the group has committed to “higher investments.”
Investment in channels is an important part of this.
In terms of store location, Salomon actively sets up in key cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu, opening stores in core business districts and lifestyle hubs, not limited to traditional outdoor retail locations.
The upcoming Salomon Pioneer Concept Store in Shanghai Xintiandi is not only a trendy lifestyle destination in Shanghai but even across China; Salomon’s first new concept retail store in China, which opened in mid-2022 in Shanghai’s Jing’an Kerry Centre, is a landmark of high-end retail in the Jing’an business district; the world’s first Salomon ski and trail running flagship store, opened at the end of 2022 in Chengdu Taikoo Li, is a trend-setting hub for the entire southwestern region…
In these stores, whether it’s the decor, installations, or overall style, Salomon’s response to its brand’s mountain DNA is evident.
As of April, Salomon has opened over 120 stores in mainland China.
Whether from the design of the stores, location selection, or operation, it is clear that Salomon is strengthening its direct-to-consumer retail model, seeking more control over its stores, and continuously solidifying its high-end brand image. The upcoming Salomon Pioneer Concept Store in Shanghai Xintiandi is expected to further strengthen the brand’s retail network in China.
Salomon’s first new concept retail store in China, located at the Jing’an Kerry Centre in Shanghai.
Salomon’s first global flagship store for skiing and trail running, located in Taikoo Li, Chengdu.
Conclusion
From the XT-6 and ACS Pro to the Speedcross3, Salomon has repeatedly created hit products, becoming one of the most popular niche outdoor sports brands among the new middle class.
But this is no accident. Once a niche brand establishes its advantageous positioning, it inevitably needs to probe further into larger markets. If “fashion” has become the key for sports brands to break out of their niches today, then “professionalism” is the stabilizer that keeps the brand standing strong; both are complementary and essential for sustained development in a broader market.
Salomon focuses on mountain sports, starting from a professional domain, and builds outdoor equipment without reducing quality, not only establishing product barriers but also gradually forming a signature outdoor aesthetic style.
Moreover, Salomon can more keenly observe market segments and consumer preferences, continuously finding new touchpoints and adjusting its brand positioning and strategy, benefiting from the right timing, geographical convenience, and harmonious human relations in the outdoor craze.
| Image Credit: Provided by Salomon
丨Reporter：Huang Yuting
| Editor: Zhu Ruoyu
