Salomon’s new GENESIS sneaker is a bonafide mountain runner, which means that despite how extremely good-looking it is (which it most certainly is), the shoe’s main area of expertise lies in its ability to aid its wearer to traverse tricky terrain, rather than just looking good doing it.

That said, I’d be lying if I said that Salomon’s GENESIS was bad on the eye, because it isn’t. It’s quite the opposite, actually.

With contrasting color blocking across the upper, a meshy paneling, and an exaggerated (and surprisingly plush) midsole, the Salomon GENESIS is a sneaker that can work with a plethora of outfits – not just shorts and socks.

Underneath the shoe, though, is where the real magic lies. Look past its undeniably good looks and you’ll find a severely robust outsole equipped with Salomon’s dynamic support chassis and a super-reliable grip for added, well, grip.

Up top, it’s business as usual for Salomon with a fast-toggle lacing system that makes for a perfectly-fitting sneaker.

Problem is, with most Salomon sneakers nowadays, they’re rarely worn by those they’re designed for. 

Instead of the gritty trail running nomad Salomon meticulously crafts its sneakers for, shoes like the GENESIS, which are available online now, are being adopted by East London’s gorpcore-loving community and those that cover themselves in more GORE-TEX than they can shake their Soho House membership card at.

That, though, isn’t necessarily a thing for Salomon, especially when it comes to sales. It’s just a thing that irritates the trail running nomads out there, is all.