The new AVNIER x Salomon sneaker

After jointly producing the Speedcross 4 and Salomon Advanced XT S-Lab 5, the emerging Parisian brand AVNIER and Salomon have joined forces for the third time during the SS20 season to produce a new technical sneaker: the "Mirage Efffect" S-Lab XT 5 Softground. The inspiration behind the shoe is the Marathon des Sables, a sports competition held annually in southern Morocco that lasts six days along a 251-kilometre desert route. Here's how Sébastian Strappazzon, creative director of AVNIER, described the sneaker concept:

[We wanted] to explore the paradox between freedom and restraint, relaxed and controlled, dualities that one may find through the desolated landscapes of the Sahara where a sense of endless freedom contrasts with the restraining conditions of the desert.

The look of the shoe reflects the colours of the Sahara with its neutral tones of sand, ivory and stone, interrupted by touches of blue colour and luminescent elements that want instead to represent the mirages and glares of the desert. The top is made of perforated mesh and ripstop nylon while Salomon's technical innovations are particularly present at the level of the sole unit made with Contragrip Chevron technology that is strength and comfort. The Quicklace string system then allows the shoe to be fastened with one hand.