Salomon opens a new chapter in its history by appointing designer Heikki Salonen as Creative Director—a move that makes the brand’s direction crystal clear: no longer pure performance alone, but an ecosystem where mountain sports, culture, and style coexist. From the French Alps to Paris, the label accelerates toward a mountain sports lifestyle vision that speaks to those who live the outdoors as a daily, identity-shaping experience, not merely a technical activity.
Heikki Salonen brings to Salomon a background shaped at some of the most influential names in contemporary fashion, from Diesel to MM6 Maison Margiela, combining design rigor with cultural sensitivity. His approach is radically product-driven: every shoe, garment, or piece of equipment is conceived as a message—an object able to communicate attitude and vision even in the absence of the body that wears it. The goal, then, is not to chase the archive or the trends of the moment, but to build new classics made to last, true to the functional spirit that has defined Salomon since 1947.
This transition is not only professional, but deeply personal. Raised among Finland’s forests and still an active practitioner of outdoor disciplines such as ultramarathon, hiking, and kayaking, Salonen embodies an authentic relationship with nature that is reflected in his idea of design: performance as a prerequisite, style as a natural consequence. Supporting him on this path is Laura Herbst, with whom he has collaborated for more than ten years—previously at Céline and MM6—reinforcing a vision that sees fashion not as decoration, but as a cultural tool.
For Salomon, Salonen’s appointment marks a clear turning point: the mountain becomes language, and product becomes the vehicle for telling that story. An evolution that does not deny performance, but expands it—transforming it into an aesthetic and cultural code capable of moving with the same credibility between technical trails and urban contexts.
Read also: The Salomon XT-Quest OAMC and the return to trail-tech roots
