Carhartt WIP and Salomon cross paths again with a second collaboration that reinforces the values already established at their first meeting: functionality, durability, and a design approach that refuses compromise when performance is on the line. At the center of the project is the X-ALP, a historic Salomon silhouette reinterpreted through Carhartt WIP’s technical, urban language—able to move naturally between the outdoors and the city.
The result is a shoe designed to adapt to any environment, built on years of shared experience creating products made to last. The upper combines robust-grain leather with suede inserts, while camouflage details introduce a visual tension that breaks the model’s technical neutrality without betraying its identity. It’s a carefully balanced blend of aesthetics and function, where every element follows a precise logic.
On the performance side, the X-ALP stays true to Salomon’s DNA: reinforced toe protection, ripstop fabric, the Sensifit™ system for a stable fit, and a Contagrip® outsole engineered to deliver grip and comfort even in the most unpredictable conditions. A shoe born to endure, but one that also speaks to those looking for a considered design—far from the idea of a purely performance-driven product.
Rounding out the project is a visual campaign directed by Bailey Marklew that plays out in an almost narrative register. Set in a remote outpost marked by electromagnetic anomalies and gravitational distortions, the story follows a group of researchers confronted with an invisible presence, perceptible only through moving filaments. An atmosphere suspended between sci-fi and psychological tension that amplifies the collaboration’s rugged, almost “survivor” character.
Available from December 18, the Carhartt WIP X-ALP fits naturally into the ongoing conversation between workwear, urban culture, and technical performance that both brands have been pursuing for years. A project that doesn’t chase a wow effect, but builds its impact through coherence, solid materials, and a clear vision of what it means today to design objects meant to be lived in—not just worn.
