New here? A quick rating in Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps other innovators find it.
In this episode
1Fashion and Style
Salomon's new creative director Heikki Salonen anchors the brand in technical performance
Salomon's incoming creative director Heikki Salonen is anchoring the brand deeper in technical performance. The gorpcore wave made Salomon fashionable, and Salonen is steering it back towards the gear itself.
Why it mattersHe is betting that technical credibility will last longer than fashion status.
Salomon's new creative director refusing the fashion label, Acne Studios marking thirty years by returning to denim and New Balance building around a community race rather than a product drop all retreat from aspiration. Each is leaning on the thing that makes it hard to copy. Core competence, not borrowed relevance, is doing the cultural work.
One to watch
Salomon will discontinue or significantly scale back its lifestyle-only footwear line within six months, consolidating around a unified technical-with-lifestyle positioning.
Tomorrow, by breakfast
Know what's moving in culture before the brief lands. Under five minutes every weekday for innovators shaping brand, marketing and strategy. Follow in your podcast app, or get it by email. Free.
THE PATTERNEP 197SIGNAL 2 · FASHION AND STYLETHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSACNE STUDIOS TURNS THIRTYBY RETURNING TO DENIM,NOT TO HYPEAcne Studios turns thirty by returning to denim, not to hype.THE PATTERNEP 197SIGNAL 3 · TECH AND DIGITALTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSPR TEAMS ARE STARTING TOMEASURE VISIBILITY IN AISEARCHPR teams are starting to measure visibility in AI search.THE PATTERNEP 197SIGNAL 4 · DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURETHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSNEW BALANCE ACTIVATESAROUND A COMMUNITY RACE,NOT A PRODUCT DROPNew Balance activates around a community race, not a product drop.THE PATTERNEP 197SIGNAL 5 · BRAND AND BUSINESSTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSCHINA'S REGULATORS ARECOOLING HUMANOID ROBOTIPOS AFTER UNITREE'SVOLATILE DEBUTChina's regulators are cooling humanoid robot IPOs after Unitree's volatile debut.THE PATTERNEP 197SIGNAL 6 · MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENTTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSNETFLIX COMMISSIONS ANEW LONESOME DOVE FROMTHE EAST OF EDENSHOWRUNNERSNetflix commissions a new Lonesome Dove from the East of Eden showrunners.THE PATTERNEP 197ONE TO WATCH · THE PATTERNTHEPATTERN.MEDIA · BEFORE IT’S OBVIOUSSALOMON WILL DISCONTINUE ORSIGNIFICANTLY SCALE BACK ITSLIFESTYLE-ONLY FOOTWEAR LINE WITHINSIX MONTHS, CONSOLIDATING AROUND AUNIFIED TECHNICAL-WITH-LIFESTYLEPOSITIONINGSalomon will discontinue or significantly scale back its lifestyle-only footwear line within six months, consolidating around a unified technical-with-lifestyle positioning.
SALOMONSTICKSTO SPORTFASHIONTHE PATTERNEP 197
Heikki Salonen steers Salomon towards technical performanceEp 197