Heikki Salonen joins Salomon as creative director

French outdoor specialist Salomon, known for its skiing, snowboarding, and technical footwear, has named former MM6 Maison Margiela creative Heikki Salonen as its first-ever creative director to usher in a “transformative new era”.

Finnish designer Salonen, who has a career spanning 30 years, was most recently at MM6, part of Maison Margiela, where he served for 12 years as the label’s creative director, and was responsible for the brand’s collaboration with Salomon that began in 2022. Prior to MM6, Salonen spent five years at Diesel, where he served as the head designer for the Diesel Black Gold line.

As creative director of Salomon, he will oversee the product design and brand creative direction to ensure "a singular, authoritative tone of voice across every facet of the brand,” as part of the outdoor specialist’s strategy to reposition itself as a fashion and lifestyle mountain sports brand.

Salomon looking to transition into a sports lifestyle brand

In a statement, Salonen said: “Salomon is mutating from a traditional sports brand into a mountain sports lifestyle brand, a space where performance and style converge without hierarchy to shape a new culture.

“A shoe can convey attitude without the person. This vision treats sportstyle footwear, apparel, and functional gear with equal importance, seeking to create future classics that will stand the test of time and that transcend fleeting trends rather than simply replicating archives.”

The French outdoor brand, which is part of Amer Sports, also announced that Laura Herbst, a luxury fashion veteran from MM6 Margiela and Céline, who has worked alongside the Finnish designer for more than a decade, will be joining as studio director.

The appointments follow the announcement in December 2025 that global chief brand officer Scott Mellin will step down from his role on April 1, 2026.