At last season's New York Fashion Week, designer Sandy Liang called her Fall 2024 collection “an ode to growing up a little, to dressing yourself without sacrificing what you love.” Ribboned mini dresses and smart pleated skirts are just part of the equation for the “girlie aesthetic. Another was a pair of chunky black sneakers with pink pointe shoe bows where shoelaces would normally be threaded.

These shoes, signaling that the ballet sneaker trend has taken hold in the market, garnered a lot of attention on social media without any confirmation from the designer as to when they would be available for sale. (Example comment: “When will they be available 👀?”) Five months later, the brand officially announced that it had put on the front row in February: Sandy Lian and Salomon collaborated for the second time to present three sneakers made for dancing in the streets rather than for running.

Sandy Liang and Salomon have worked together since 2021, when the designers first styled the Alpine sneaker brand's sneakers for a runway presentation. Two years later, in 2023, Liang and Salomon unveiled their first full-fledged collaboration: the XT-6 Expanse trail sneaker coated in girlish bubblegum pink.

The shoe incorporated Liang's penchant for pink and romance into a hardworking trail sneaker without major changes to the silhouette; in the second collaboration, the shape and construction of the shoe was Liang's, as was the aforementioned ribbon lace. 1 pair of RX MJ Sandy Liangs updates the Mary Jane trend with thinner crossed straps and a tread sole. The other pair, the Speedcross 3 Ribbon Sandy Liang, combines the energy of an ABT rehearsal with the support and heft of a running shoe. Both are available today at Liang's New York flagship store and will be available July 25 at Salomon's online store and select retailers.

In a press release, Liang says the collection is a more intentional expansion of her perspective. Liang said, “It's exciting to see this second chapter of our partnership come to life with new designs and reimagined silhouettes for Salomon's icons that are a natural match for the collection I'm creating.”

The Sandy Liang x Salomon 2.0 collaboration comes at a time when the ballet sneaker trend is at its peak (rather than soaring). From Simone Rocha to Skechers, hybrid shoes combining delicate ballet slipper uppers and 10,000-step soles are everywhere. There has also been a surge in sneaker collaborations that transform brands with ultra-feminine codes into court-worthy shoes, such as Asics' back-to-back sneakers with Danish designer Cecilie Bernsen and Shanghai-based ShuShu/Tong

In the case of Sandy Liang, the new capsule is less about keeping up with the 2024 sneaker trend and more about finding new conduits for one of her favorite influences. Recent collections have included delicate silver earrings and square-toe satin flats adorned with ballerina motifs. Says she, “Pointe shoes have always fascinated me, and I thought it would be beautiful to incorporate ribbon detailing into Salomon shoes.”

The appeal of these sneakers comes down to what Liang's show notes first mentioned. The running shoes with their remixed mary janes and ribbons bring out the inner child's yearning to be a prima ballerina in a way that fits the realities of adult life.

Sandy Liang x Salomon is now available at Sandy Liang flagship stores.