First looks of the Phileo x Salomon shoe collab have been circulating for months and their release date is now on the horizon. Phileo’s sneaker takes cues from Salomon’s cult favorite XT-6 GORE-TEX, its popular weatherproof daily driver shoe. Phileo, who favors chunky soles and smooth lines, made a silhouette of his own, dubbed the “XT-SP1.”
21-year-old designer Phileo Landowski’s story is movie-worthy. After dropping out of school in favor of an internship at CELINE, Phileo found his passion for designing sneakers. The pieces eventually fell in place for the launch of his namesake brand in 2019 and, then, his appointment as a creative consultant for Salomon in 2021. In 2023, architecturally-minded Phileo will finally debut a collaborative Salomon sneaker of his own under the rising brand.
The Phileo x Salomon XT-SP1 dials back on the latter’s techy calling cards with reflective logos and pops of color. Phileo goes for a more utilitarian approach with a monochromatic black sneaker accented with a forest green lining and an exposed Velcro-like upper.
The pink colorway is a welcome sight amid Salomon’s roster of neon green, grey, and black sneakers, and Phileo’s textural approach is made clear. Both colorways are decidedly more minimal than Salomon’s usual fare, but the details of the XT-SP1 like contrasting rubber on the heel and tonal colors feel intentional.
Phileo’s architectural style meshes well with Salomon’s genderless, performance-minded leanings, and the XT-SP1 disrupts the sneaker brand’s design in an exciting way. While there’s no set release date yet, I’ll be making room on my Christmas list for them just in case.
