"Hello guys I’m always on the run, multiplying train and plain journeys… and finally, here I take a moment for this interview"
What type of runner are you?
I started to run in 2010, it was a way to relax and stay fit. In 2012, I started to work for Arc’teryx VEILANCE and I kept moving from Montréal to Toronto to Vancouver. Running quickly became my sport of predilection, I simply needed a pair of shoes, some shorts and t-shirt in my travel bags. With time, sport became a way to connect. As I was frequently in Toronto, I discovered a running crew there, Parkdale Roadrunners. It was in 2013. Mike and Steven welcomed me in the team and I ran with them every time I came by Toronto. The fact that connection was made so easy outside of Montréal made me want to build a similar project in Montréal. It was as if I really lived my city when I was transiting between two business trips. So it’s with my roommates of the time and close friends that East Laurier Running Club emerged. By increasing the group trainings, the idea of performing started to rise in discussions. Rapidly, the group went into a SEMI training mode and during the following year, we ran for our first marathons… Good times! Meanwhile, an improvement this quick comes not without sequelae. I got injured during preparation of season 2015, fatigue fractures on both tibia bones and on the hip. Forced to rest, I withdrew from running and I have to admit having hard times to recover since then…
Memories from the crews debuts…
As I said, East Laurier is a direct inspiration from Parkdale Roadrunners… Shortly after, I discovered the Bridge Runners in NYC, the ones who initiated the movement around twenty years ago. It was an amazing moment! If I’m not wrong, Bridge Runners celebrated their 10th anniversary in June 2014. They had organized a crazy weekend in NYC! Great memories! Bar tours, long bike rides, party with Stash, social runs in Lower East Side, etc. There were people everywhere! People I'm still in touch with. At fall, I was running the marathon of Amsterdam, people I had met in NYC were hosting me. Then, I went through Copenhague, Berlin, Paris… it was always people from Bridge The Gap network who hosted me… We did the same in Montréal. It was fun to welcome members of the crew from all over the world. Slowly, we started to organize local runs such as « MTL MILE » and « LA CLASSIQUE SIR WILFRID LAURIER ». It brought a great energy in the running community of Montréal.
Since how long have you been working on the ADVANCE project at SALOMON and what is the core idea behind it ?
I started to work on ADVANCED even before I knew I was working on ADVANCED… I arrived in Salomon in October 2016. At that time, there was a desire to make the brand known beyond the traditional audiences. There was a project with The Broken Arm, another with Boris Bidjan Saberi and the launch of the Black Edition. These initiatives were made in the aim of making preliminary experiments. Even at a small scale, these projects resonated towards the good audiences. Without any name on the project, I took over the movement to formalise our approach. And two years later, the name ADVANCED was endorsed by Salomon.
The core idea of ADVANCED is close to the foundations of the brand Salomon. The project operates following three basic concepts: the DNA of the brand Salomon, being an active member of our community, and create a future which we can be proud of. To make it short, transcending the brand Salomon. All too often, and to service an outdoor public, aesthetic is pushed aside. Our prime wish is to consider the functionality on the same level as aesthetic. Also, a particularity resides in the project ADVANCED: it is not constrained by sport. In that, I have the privilege to meet experts in all sorts of sports in which Salomon is interested, question the future of the brand and revisit the past.
How do you explain this enthusiasm around technical products in fashion ?
From my point of view, technical clothes always had a place in fashion. I started my career at VEILANCE, the high-end urban collection from the brand Arc’teryx. It’s nearly innate for someone from Montréal. Our daily life is so tightly linked to the weather that technical clothes are part of the vast majority wardrobe. Brands like Timberland, The North Face, a lot of ski brands, are part of our everyday life since decades. I’m convinced that if I look back at my childhood photos we would notice logos from outdoor brands. There is also a change in the way values are expressed. There is a movement from luxury ostentatious symboles to more discrete and precise products associations, which refer to imagination just as powerful. I think Salomon/Arc’teryx has become the new Ralph Lauren/Nautica of 2020. The link between elite-reserved activities such as horse riding and sailing as opposed to outdoor is meaningful to me. Access to nature has become a real privilege/ luxury…
Products you imagine are regularly worn by fashion, sport or musique celebrities. Are you surprised every time? Can you tell us which personality pleased you particularly by choosing Salomon ?
I started at Salomon with the simple purpose of creating shoes that my friends would like. I’m quite well surrounded because they were supportive from the start. Concerning the celebrities, I’m always the most surprised and amazed! Le day after Rihanna wore my shoes, it was my annual evaluation, you can imagine the conversation with my boss ;) I couldn’t name all the celebrities who wore Salomon Advanced shoes, but I can tell you that we have an audience in Los Angeles including A$AP NAST, Sheck West, Solange, et Kanye West… not too bad of a look ! (in english by the guest)
Clients frequently ask us if they can run with the ADVANCED line, what is your answer?
It depends on the model! If they were designed for trail like the XT-Wings 2, XT-4 ou XT-6, no worries! The shoes were designed for that. Initially, the XT-6 was thought to answer the elite athletes requirements for running UTMB.
What race do you recommend in Canada, Annecy or Paris?
Montréal : All the routes going to the summit of mont-royal
Toronto : West Toronto Rail Path and Lakeshore !
Vancouver : Le Sea Wall… legendary road! It was my « go-to » at lunch time when I was travelling to Vancouver
Annecy : Definitely the Veyrier, the path starts at around 2,5km from the old town of Annecy. At the top, fantastic view on the lake and the city.
Paris : The segment from Montmartre to the Carrousel bridge (back and forth)