Salomon puts best foot forward with Merino
Teaming up with The Woolmark Company, leading sportswear brand Salomon has introduced Merino wool into its footwear range. Salomon’s new Pulsar PRG Knit sneaker is an upgrade of the brand’s popular Pulsar PRG shoe, which now has a lightweight knitted upper that incorporates Merino wool.
Salomon is a leading international sports and outdoor brand based at Annecy in the French Alps. Founded in 1947 as a maker of ski gear, Salomon now manufactures products for various activities including trail running, hiking, climbing and skiing. Its products are sold across the world.
In 2015, Salomon launched its Sportstyle footwear sub-brand that combines performance-inspired design with city style. It is Salomon’s fastest growing segment and is aimed at a younger more mainstream urban audience buying sportswear.
Salomon’s new Pulsar PRG Knit sneaker that incorporates Merino wool in its upper.
Salomon has recently made several sustainability commitments, including adding more natural fibres into its product range. This has led to the development with The Woolmark Company of the Pulsar PRG Knit, Salomon Sportstyle’s first Merino wool sneaker, which was last month launched globally.
The unisex sneaker has an upper that includes Merino wool. In addition to being a 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre, the Merino wool offers thermoregulation, moisture management and breathability properties, thereby providing performance benefits as well as eco benefits.
“When updating the Pulsar PRG for cooler temperatures, it was obvious for us to work with wool to keep the sneaker’s lightness while bringing warmth and a new touch and feel to the model.”
Maina Souviron, Product Line Manager, Salomon Sportstyle
The sneaker has gained The Woolmark Company’s prestigious Wool Blend Performance certification, guaranteeing durability, performance, fibre content and exacting quality standards.
The marketing of the shoe includes a digital and social campaign.
Global marketing of the sneaker
In addition to assisting with the development of the Pulsar PRG Knit, The Woolmark Company has also collaborated on marketing the sneaker worldwide, during August and September, aimed mainly at younger audiences (20-40 years) in the urban and sports communities. The marketing has included a digital and social campaign, plus displays of the sneaker in Salomon’s four key flagship stores in China, highlighting the natural Merino wool used in the shoe and its comfort benefits.
AWI CEO John Roberts says the project is an example of how AWI is collaborating with a leading brand in the global market to raise awareness of Merino wool and build demand for new Merino wool products and Australian wool.
“Salomon has long been an international leader in the sports and outdoor industry, and we are pleased to help the brand put its best foot forward by incorporating Merino wool into its Sportstyle range for the first time,” he explained.
“Merino wool's inherent performance and environmental benefits have been driving new opportunities for the fibre in the footwear market, and Salomon’s new Pulsar PRG Knit with its Merino wool upper is a fantastic example of innovation and product development.”
“This collaboration with leading global brand Salomon is an example of how AWI is introducing the use of Merino wool into new markets to build demand for Australian wool.”
John Roberts, AWI CEO
The use of wool in the footwear market is a relatively new development that has been driven by cooperative activity between The Woolmark Company and innovative manufacturers, such as Salomon on its Pulsar PRG Knit sneaker.
Breakthrough developments by leading spinners to create wool yarns suitable for footwear, teamed with advancements in technology, have led to innovative product developments that offer a natural solution to a market so heavily dominated by synthetic materials. This has led to more brands now using wool in footwear, which has increased the consumption of wool in the global footwear market.
The collaboration between The Woolmark Company and Salomon came about partly as a result of a relationship built when Salomon was the partner of the 2022 Woolmark Performance Challenge, the competition for tertiary students to develop innovative new product applications for Merino wool within the sports market.
More information: www.salomon.com
This article appeared in the September 2023 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
