How Salomon is crowdsourcing the future of outdoor fashion in China

On June 5, Salomon unveiled the 2026 edition of its Road to the Future initiative at the brand’s Anfu Road concept store in Shanghai. Less a conventional collaboration than a creative framework, the project opens Salomon’s mountain archive to emerging designers — and puts the results to a public vote. Under this year's theme, “Archived for the Future” (存档未来), designer Uma Wang joins as guest judge alongside Heikki Salonen, who became Salomon’s first creative director in January, while Sportstyle ambassador Bai Jingting takes part as the project’s “Future Researcher.” Eight emerging designers will reinterpret two Salomon silhouettes — the ACS Pro and the upcoming XT-Ridge — with the winner securing a long-term collaboration with the brand. The program is not a one-off. Salomon launched Road to the Future in 2024 to connect its mountain archive with emerging Chinese designers — the brand has framed the project as a route for Chinese design talent into international markets — and in 2025, four designers from the program showed work during Paris Men’s Fashion Week. The 2026 edition expands the format into an open competition built around exhibition and public voting The verdict doesn’t rest with the professional jury alone. All eight designs will be exhibited at the Anfu Road store, where visitors can book a slot to view the shoes up close and cast a vote for their favorite. This is where the initiative starts to work harder for the brand. A shoe like the ACS Pro stops being a finished product and becomes raw material for other designers; Salomon’s technical heritage shifts from an engineering language into a fashion resource; and consumers move from the end of the marketing funnel into the design process itself. Each design and each vote feeds the next cycle, turning breakout products from a matter of accidental buzz into the output of a repeatable process shaped by the brand, the industry and its consumers. The aim is not to ride the outdoor trend while it lasts, but to build a mechanism that keeps producing what comes after it — which, in a category where most brands are still chasing viral moments, may prove the more durable advantage. Brand updates Lululemon unrolls yoga mats at the Great Wall On May 30, Lululemon hosted its Yoga Festival at the Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall in Beijing, drawing more than 2,000 participants to mark the brand’s 10th year in China — a market where its net revenue rose 29% in fiscal 2025. Brand ambassador Zhu Yilong joined the HiiKo Drum Group for a traditional drum performance atop the wall, while more than 200 practitioners on the centuries-old ramparts moved through a tai chi-infused yoga flow created by ambassador Lin Min. Guided by the principle of “minimal intervention, maximum respect,” the event used trace-free installations and included a donation to the China Foundation for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The festival continues to Shanghai, Xi’an, Shenyang and Chongqing. Arc’teryx Line System_A debuts its 1st women’s climbing series System_A, the progressive line under Arc’teryx, has unveiled Drop 9, its first series designed specifically for female climbers. Built for summer bouldering and outdoor climbing, the four-piece collection — including a UPF40+ sun-protection shell jacket, a relaxed short-sleeve tee and a climbing jumpsuit — prioritizes breathability and freedom of movement, from dynamic climbing to rest at the crag. The drop extends a broader push by technical outdoor labels to court female climbers, one of the fastest-growing communities in China’s outdoor boom. Maia Active expands its YoSkin collection Maia Active, the women’s activewear brand under Anta Group, has added new pieces to its YoSkin collection, built on a stretch fabric with a lightly brushed finish designed for yoga, dance and everyday wear. The lineup includes a V-neck strappy tank, a crewneck T-shirt and a cropped deep-U-neck top, with slim straps and curved side panels shaping the fit through the shoulders and waist. The drop extends Anta’s push into the premium women’s activewear segment, where the group’s 2023 acquisition of Maia Active positioned it against Lululemon’s fast-growing China business. Anta Group releases 2025 ESG report Anta Sports released its 2025 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report on June 5 in Qingdao, its 11th consecutive year of disclosure. The launch was staged on China’s first sustainable tennis court, built by Fila from more than 20,600 recycled tennis balls collected from clubs across 16 cities. Under the theme “From Nature to Nature,” Fila presented sustainable products spanning tennis, outdoor and lifestyle categories for both adults and children, and said it met its 2025 ESG targets ahead of schedule. Per the report, sustainable products accounted for 48.8% of Fila’s portfolio in 2025, sustainable packaging exceeded 80%, and 100% of the brand’s down was RDS certified. The group also said it is the first mainland Chinese sportswear company to secure independent assurance of its Scope 3 Category 1 emissions data. Adidas unveils ‘El Último Tango’ collection for Lionel Messi Adidas has unveiled the “El Último Tango” collection, marking what is expected to be Lionel Messi’s final World Cup appearance at this summer’s 2026 tournament across the US, Canada and Mexico. The release, which launched June 5, also celebrates two decades of Messi’s partnership with Adidas, spanning six World Cups since his debut in 2006. Its centerpiece F50 boot draws directly on the +F50.6 Tunit silhouette Messi wore at that first tournament, with an iridescent white-and-blue upper in Argentina's colors and gold detailing nodding to his 2022 title. The collection extends beyond the pitch to lifestyle silhouettes including the Superstar and Handball Spezial.

How Salomon is crowdsourcing the future of outdoor fashion in China

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How Salomon is crowdsourcing the future of outdoor fashion in China

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag