Salomon’s Gorpcore Water Fountain

I’ve been looking at this Salomon ‘water fountain’ now for a few days thinking about what this supposed to be.

[Salomon Sportstyle] latest project isn’t a new trail shoe or a technical apparel collection. Instead, the French brand has teamed up with Paris-based design practice [Studio Douzedegres] to reinterpret one of the city’s most overlooked pieces of public infrastructure: the fountain.

To trail runners this portable water fountain looks very familiar. Who hasn’t run a trail race in a remote area where a ‘WaterMonster‘ greeted you to refill your flasks. This Salomon one of course is over designed, stylish and quite beautiful. Something we most likely won’t be seeing at a trail race – ever. But, so, why was this made?

First unveiled at Yardland Festival, the installation takes the form of a 3.5-metre-high luminous totem fitted with twelve taps. Designed as a travelling structure, it will accompany future Salomon activations, bringing free drinking water into spaces where sport, culture and community intersect.

To me this feels like Salomon bringing the idea of ‘practical outdoor tools’ to the urban fashion world. Gorpcore for water fountains, so to speak. I love this journey for them.