Salomon’s CEO on turning hype into staying power

On Shanghai’s tree-lined Anfu Road, a century-old French-style villa has been refitted in crisp white, becoming the site of Salomon’s “Fujun” concept store in China. Echoing the brand’s Marais sportstyle store in Paris, the space is more than a retail venue — it’s a fortress of brand spirit, aimed squarely at a discerning crowd that values quality and individuality. Here, French street culture and a forward edge are woven into a local context, while carrying forward the high-performance DNA of its Alpine origins. Founded in 1947 in the French Alps as a maker of ski bindings, Salomon steadily expanded into trail running and outdoor gear. Acquired by Amer Sports in 2005 and later folded into the Anta-led global brand portfolio in 2019, the label has accelerated its presence in China and across Asia. With its high-performance credentials and progressive design language, Salomon has bridged social media, fashion circles, and serious sport communities, evolving from a niche outdoor label into a global reference point for the fusion of performance and style. Its rise, however, has little to do with fleeting hype. Over 78 years, Salomon has held fast to a core belief: brand DNA comes before everything. Through shifting tastes and changing trends, it has remained rooted in technical performance and driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence — a consistency that has given it the resilience to outlast cycles and the momentum to keep growing. That guiding principle has shaped Salomon’s distinctive balance of alpine heritage and urban edge — and translated into tangible returns. According to Amer Sports’ latest earnings, Salomon has emerged as the company’s “second growth engine,” delivering strong momentum and remarkable brand resilience across regions in both the sport style and performance categories, driving 35% growth in the company’s outdoor performance segment. Against this backdrop, Jing Daily sat down with Salomon President and CEO Guillaume Meyzenq to discuss how the brand, has stayed sharply attuned to its DNA in an increasingly crowded outdoor market and amid the whiplash of fashion trends — and, in doing so, managed to synchronize performance and style as twin engines of growth. Jing Daily: Salomon started with ski gear and is now a global force in outdoor fashion and performance. How do you look back on that evolution? Guillaume Meyzenq: Over its 78-year history, Salomon’s growth has been shaped by four pivotal moments. The first came under founder Georges Salomon. Then still a small, French-speaking company, Salomon refused to settle for dominance in a single niche. Starting with ski bindings, it expanded into new product categories — boots, skis, snowboards — and across disciplines from alpine and Nordic skiing to snowboarding, becoming a brand that touched almost every corner of winter sports. The second turning point arrived in the late 1980s. Two snowless winters made Georges acutely aware of the dangers of relying too heavily on the ski season. He moved decisively into footwear, pulling Salomon beyond winter gear and into the broader outdoor world, redrawing the company’s map. The third came from an early bet on trail running. Twenty years ago, the sport barely existed as an organized category. But after witnessing a tiny, 40-person race in Chamonix — without even a starting line — Salomon recognized its potential. The brand began investing in events and athletes, helping push trail running from niche pastime to global phenomenon, and securing its place in the sport. The final moment was the collision of performance and fashion. Around 10 years ago, Parisian boutique The Broken Arm noticed customers pairing Salomon shoes with vintage and reached out to the company. The collaboration produced limited-edition shoes that married technical performance with bold design — sparking buzz in fashion circles and transforming Salomon from a purely performance-driven brand into one that speaks equally to style, winning over a new generation of consumers. JD: What do you see as Anta Group’s greatest contribution to Salomon? GM: I’d sum it up in three points. First, the new leadership brought a far bigger vision for Salomon, seeing potential even our own teams hadn’t recognized — that with our innovation and design strength, deeper retail capabilities and stronger urban presence, the brand could unlock much greater value. Second, they invested heavily in talent, retail, and marketing, giving us the resources to move forward with confidence. And third, they pushed our footwear business. In Asia, we’ve long led in winter sports — from skiing in Japan to snow destinations in South Korea — but had never truly extended that strength into footwear. Now is the perfect moment to make that leap. JD: How does Salomon balance communicating product performance with building an emotional connection with consumers? GM: We focus on building community through three key pillars. First, our retail spaces serve as community hubs, hosting events and activities that bring our brand story to life, our Anfu Concept Store in Shanghai is a prime example. Meanwhile, our “Go Wild” program connects urban consumers with authentic outdoor experiences, and it will increasingly collaborate with our Anfu Concept Store in the future. Lastly, our digital ecosystem provides personalized content and community engagement opportunities. These initiatives create meaningful connections while respecting local cultural nuances. JD: When selecting collaborators, what qualities or values matter most to Salomon? GM: Our collaborations often begin with a discovery phase — sometimes we reach out, other times they come to us. Before moving forward, we take time to ensure both sides truly understand and align on values and standards, with performance and quality always at our core. If that alignment isn’t there, we’d rather walk away. Once we find that fit, we move into creation. We don’t limit ourselves to established names — we look for partnerships that bring fresh energy. Working with Sandy Liang, who emerged on the New York Fashion Week stage, not only gave her global visibility, but also pushed creative boundaries on styles like the XT-Whisper. For us, collaborations are about sparking new ways of thinking and building meaningful connections, not just chasing sales. JD: What was the strategic thinking behind opening a new concept store on Anfu Road in Shanghai? GM: We chose this location for its unique blend of cultural significance and contemporary urban lifestyle. The store serves as a physical manifestation of our brand evolution, featuring distinct zones that showcase our technical products alongside lifestyle collections. More than a retail space, it’s designed to be a community hub that brings our mountain sports heritage into an urban context through innovative design elements and participatory experiences. JD: What are Salomon’s biggest opportunities and risks in the next three to five years? GM: I believe Salomon still has vast room to grow. The greatest opportunity lies in cementing its position in modern mountain sport culture — staying authentic to its alpine roots while innovating and forging a deeper connection between performance and style. The biggest risk isn’t external competition but complacency from current success. If we stop innovating, lose sight of consumer needs, or grow self-satisfied, today’s advantage could become tomorrow’s liability. Staying humble, listening closely, generating fresh ideas, and keeping a tight link with Chinese consumers and young creative talent will be key to making that vision a reality. JD: What kind of brand do you hope to lead Salomon to become? GM: I want Salomon to become a truly global brand that connects more sports while continuing to expand its reach. As a leader, I see myself not only as the leader of the brand, but also as its steadfast guardian — and I want every employee to join this journey. Like in team sports, sometimes you play for your teammates, sometimes for yourself. Our goal is to keep sharing the brand’s spirit so that at the moment someone puts on Salomon, they feel closer to health, to the outdoors, and to a more positive mindset. That, to me, would be the ultimate victory.

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Salomon’s CEO on turning hype into staying power