Sandy Liang Launches ‘Secretly’ Dreamed Collaboration With Salomon Inspired by ‘Chinatown Grandmas’
Sandy Liang was in search of the perfect shoes to style with her spring 2022 collection when someone walked into her office wearing a pair of Salomon sneakers.
“It just totally made sense, they really completed the looks,” Liang told WWD.
A year later, Liang and Salomon teamed up to release an exclusive capsule collection. The designer put her whimsical spin on two classic Salomon silhouettes: the RX Moc 3.0 and the XT-6 Expanse.
Liang’s take on the Moc 3.0 features sheer cream mesh and her trademark floral decal. For Liang’s XT-6 update, she opted for a colorway of Candy pink and Kelly green. Both pairs are priced at $190, and the sizing is unisex.
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“Salomon and Sandy Liang are both brands that thrive off of our own history,” said Liang in a press release. “We are not trend-driven and are committed to making great products, figuring out who we are and designing for the moment we are in.”
Liang’s coveted silk flats have been synonymous with the rise of balletcore, while Liang’s nods to the ‘90s feed the Millennial fix for nostalgia.
Liang channeled the same playfulness for her Salomon collaboration. Her Moc 3.0 design was based on a sheer bath slipper. “I just thought that if you could see your pedicure through the mesh, that would be a cute little touch,” Liang said.
For the XT-6, Liang tapped into her penchant for cartoons. The shoe’s color scheme was influenced by Sanrio and Pokemon.
Liang’s New York City roots inspire almost everything that she creates, and the Salomon capsule is no exception. “One of my earliest inspirations is Chinatown grandmas, and I think both of these styles are so Chinatown grandma,” said Liang. “I could see [the shoes] paired with a floral pant or a little cropped flak trouser.”
Liang, who said the Salomon collab was “secretly a dream” of hers, has been a longtime fan of the brand. She still remembers her first pair of Moc 3.0s. “I was styling myself constantly in them,” said Liang.
Liang and Salomon’s collection debuted at the designer’s fall 2023 show. The Moc 3.0s were paired with a preppy sweater and slacks look, while the XT-6 was styled with an upscale athleisure ensemble.
There may be even more collaborations coming down the line. “We want to keep collaborating with Sandy Liang,” said Salomon’s marketing manager, Bryan Diaz.
The Liang capsule is hardly Salomon’s first brush with the high fashion world. The company has previously collaborated with labels like Comme des Garçons and Maison Margiela. The MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon Cross High sneakers have been a hot commodity. The Lyst Index ranked the shoe as one of the shopping platform’s most popular items for the first quarter of 2023, and Rihanna wore shoes from the MM6 Maison Margiela x Salomon collaboration during her Super Bowl performance.
The Salomon x Sandy Liang collection launches globally on May 5 at Salomon select retailers and on salomon.com, and debuts April 28 for exclusive purchase at Liang’s NYC boutique and on sandyliang.info.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
