Zhang Lin mobilized over a dozen relatives and friends, securing more than 30 raffle entries in hopes of winning a pair of pink Salomon sneakers. But even with those odds, she still came up empty-handed.
The shoes in question are a collaboration between Salomon and New York-based designer brand Sandy Liang. The design is based on Salomon’s signature XT-Whisper model and was released before the Lunar New Year.
This isn’t the first time the two brands have teamed up. They previously launched collaborative versions of the XT-6 and RX MOC 3.0, with resale prices once soaring past RMB 3,000 (USD 420).
Salomon has long mastered the art of scarcity marketing. To get your hands on a coveted pair, you typically have to enter a fiercely competitive raffle. Only those lucky enough to win a spot can then purchase the shoes.
But this time, the hype reached new heights. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, during a widely watched comedy skit featuring actors Shen Teng and Ma Li, an actress with just under three minutes of screen time—Sun Qian—managed to turn the sneakers into an overnight sensation simply by wearing them onstage.
From niche to mainstream
As a longtime Salomon fan, Zhang recalls a time when the brand was strictly an outdoor staple, often dismissed by the mainstream as “ugly.” Fast forward a few years, and it has become a must-have for the fashion-conscious middle class. People are now willing to wait in line for hours and pay multiples of the retail price just to own a pair.
Amer Sports’ latest earnings report underscores Salomon’s growing momentum. In 2024, the group reported revenue of USD 5.18 billion, an 18% year-on-year increase. The Chinese market remained a key driver, with its revenue share climbing from 19% in 2023 to 25% in 2024, reaching USD 1.298 billion—a 53.7% jump. The company also turned profitable just over a year after going public, recording a net profit of USD 73 million, up 135% from the previous year.
Arc’teryx remains the group’s top performer, leading the outdoor apparel segment with USD 2.19 billion in revenue, a 36% year-on-year increase. The brand alone contributed nearly 40% of Amer Sports’ total revenue, with sales surpassing USD 2 billion for the first time in 2024.
However, Amer Sports has set more modest growth expectations for 2025, forecasting a revenue increase of 13–15%, lower than last year’s 18% gain. Meanwhile, its outdoor apparel division, which includes Arc’teryx, is projected to grow by about 20%, a slowdown from the 36% surge seen in 2024.
This has led many to speculate that Amer Sports is looking for its next Arc’teryx. And Salomon is increasingly fitting the bill.
Salomon’s rise in China
Long before Salomon was considered part of the so-called “middle-class trifecta” in China alongside Arc’teryx and Lululemon, it had already gained a cult following in Western fashion circles. Celebrities and influencers helped turn the brand’s technical footwear into a niche style statement, even as mainstream consumers still saw it as clunky and unappealing.
The shift may have started around 2020, when Salomon began aggressively expanding in China.
A year earlier, Anta had acquired Amer Sports, which had previously purchased Salomon from Adidas in 2005. The group also owns a portfolio of outdoor and performance brands, including Arc’teryx, Wilson, and Atomic.
The COVID-19 pandemic then triggered a boom in outdoor sports, fueling rapid growth for brands like Arc’teryx and Salomon.
In terms of mainstream appeal, Salomon trailed Arc’teryx in China, but its growth trajectory has been impressive. In 2022, a Salomon executive told 36Kr that the brand had achieved triple-digit growth in China compared to pre-2020 levels, with footwear accounting for over 70% of sales.
By 2024, Salomon’s footwear sales alone surpassed USD 1 billion. When the brand’s total revenue exceeded USD 1.3 billion in 2023, many saw it as a strong contender to become Amer Sports’ next flagship brand, especially given that Arc’teryx brought in just slightly more at USD 1.4 billion that year.
One major factor driving Salomon’s growth in China is shifting consumer behavior. The aforementioned executive noted that beyond simply selling products, the brand has focused on emphasizing the connection between people and movement, encouraging more consumers to take up running.
Outdoor sports trends have undoubtedly contributed to Salomon’s rise. But more than that, the brand—like Arc’teryx—has managed to transform itself into a status symbol, a form of social currency. The fact that non-outdoor enthusiasts are now wearing Salomon as a fashion statement speaks volumes about its branding success.
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Salomon has also localized its approach to the Chinese market. It has adjusted fitting and sizing to better accommodate Chinese consumers’ foot shapes and introduced sneaker-specific shopping assistants—something rarely seen in its Western markets.
Beyond product adjustments, Salomon leverages scarcity marketing with limited-edition and collaborative releases to generate buzz. And then there’s the undeniable power of organic celebrity endorsements.
Breaking into the mainstream
Much like Lululemon’s ambassador program, Salomon has historically partnered almost exclusively with professional athletes. But that hasn’t stopped numerous celebrities from adopting the brand, turning themselves into walking billboards. Rihanna and Blackpink’s Lisa are among its high-profile fans, and even Xiaomi founder Lei Jun has been spotted wearing Salomon sneakers, leading to an instant sellout.
For a brand with outdoor roots, maintaining credibility among hardcore enthusiasts while reaching mainstream consumers is a delicate balance. Athlete endorsements make sense for performance credibility, but they can also be a barrier to breaking into the fashion space.
Recognizing this, Salomon made a bold move in 2024 by appointing actor Bai Jingting as its inaugural outdoor-focused ambassador. This marked a departure from its athlete-focused strategy and accelerated its crossover into mainstream fashion.
The strategy has worked before. The North Face, once seen as a purely functional brand, transformed into a cultural phenomenon by leveraging celebrity collaborations and limited-edition releases. Salomon is now proving that this playbook can be replicated.
Expanding footprint in China
Salomon’s rapid rise in China isn’t just about branding, but also expansion. The brand now has nearly 200 stores across Greater China, with plans to open about 100 more in 2025, including franchised locations.
It is also borrowing from Arc’teryx’s strategy of prioritizing high-end shopping malls and flagship stores to reinforce its premium positioning.
Amer Sports has stated that as Chinese consumers become more receptive to emerging performance sneaker brands, Salomon is well-positioned for accelerated growth. The company expects Salomon’s sales to maintain double-digit growth annually.
However, competition is heating up. Brands like On and Hoka, which also target the middle-class consumer segment, are expanding aggressively in China. They share overlapping customer bases and retail channels with Salomon, making the landscape increasingly competitive.
In terms of brand recognition, Salomon still has some ground to cover before catching up to Arc’teryx. But it has time to close the gap.
One clear sign of its growing influence? After the holiday season, Zhang noticed more of her colleagues sporting Salomon sneakers.
“I just hope it doesn’t make the raffles even harder,” she said.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Li Xiaoxia for 36Kr.