Beyond The Colorway: How Salomon x L’Art Brings Aerodynamics to Life

What You Need To Know

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

I don’t know about anyone else, but I love a collab. Well, alright, most people probably do, and there are a ton of lifestyle and casual collabs out there. Every week, it seems like New Balance has linked up with someone new or Asics has given Ronnie Fieg another chance to make magic. Less common, though, are race day collaborations.

For whatever reason, it seems like brands would rather keep their fastest shoes in their own colors. Well, other than New Balance letting District Vision dip back into the well over and over again, I suppose. Anyway, the point is that we don’t see many collaborations in carbon-plated racing shoes, which is disappointing.

But, as if in answer to my prayer, Salomon is ready to change that notion. The French company has reconnected with a frequent Paris-based collaborator, L’Art, to take the automotive-inspired design of its S/Lab Phantasm 3 to another level. It’s back with a brand-new colorway, a sportstyle companion, and an apparel capsule, and it has us revving our engines.

The Science Behind The Style

There are a couple of ways I could dive into this collaboration: breaking down the purpose of Salomon’s shroud, praising the bounciness of the OptiFoam+ and EnergyBlade, and discussing why racing shoes are so incredibly expensive. Instead, though, I’m going to treat it like buying a car — the capsule’s inspiration, after all. And, when you go to buy a car, what’s the first thing you see? Color.

Color is, quite literally, the entire point of L’Art’s take on the S/Lab Phantasm 3. It’s a literal representation of a wind tunnel, frozen in time and plastered onto the shoe’s upper — well, the mesh, not the shroud. Either way, it’s a bold take on a very bold shoe, starting off bright red at the toe, where the wind tunnel makes first contact. From there, the S/Lab Phantasm 3 blossoms out into yellows, greens, and blues as the wind dissipates on its way back.

Now, whether or not the wind patterns on the shoe come from its actual testing, I’m not sure, but I’m not going to argue. Besides, with the mix of colors, the KARACING logo that crosses the shroud, and the number 42 (for the number of kilometers in a marathon) that graces the side of the shoe, I’m very down with the Jeff Gordon aesthetic — even though L’Art would probably rather I took an F1 angle on the collection.

Anyway, the wind tunnel inspiration continues on Salomon’s sportstyle entry to the collection, the Pro ACS. This time, though, the coloring is a little more abstract — L’Art didn’t put the utilitarian trail shoe from 2005 through a wind tunnel. It did, however, keep the same color scheme, which makes this feel more like the footwear you’d see the pit crew rocking (and you just might at mile 18 of the Paris Marathon).

Once again, the number 42 makes a prominent appearance, but the Pro ACS offers a different set of technologies, pairing a Kurim structure for support with a full-coverage ContaGrip outsole for reliable traction on long days on your feet — like when you’re cheering for the Paris Marathon.

If I had to hint any harder, you’ll see this collection in just a few days, pounding through the cobblestone streets of the City of Lights, accompanied by a mostly black capsule of apparel, obviously decked out with L’Art logos and a few aerodynamic details.

Beyond The Race Track

While I’m personally pumped about Salomon and L’Art teaming up for a high-end performance collaboration, it’s also important to acknowledge the off-track half of the collection. After all, you can’t wear high-stack, carbon-plated shoes everywhere you go, no matter how popular Alphaflys In The Wild makes it seem. For the times when it’s less appropriate, there’s the lifestyle collection.

Like the racing apparel, these pieces are mostly black, which feels very on-brand for L’Art. Let the canvas be subtle while the details speak — just like a sports car. That means you can expect subtlety from the Motomesh crew and the OuterPath pants, both of which are fast favorites in my book. L’Art’s gloves, balaclava, and Kar Cap are a little louder, with the waterproof Bonatti jacket tying the whole collection together like you’d expect a pit crew chief to do.

How to get the Salomon x L’Art Collab

The thing about sports cars is that they’re not for everyone. They just don’t wind up at every dealership waiting to be driven off the lot. You ever pull up to a Ferrari dealership? I mean, they exist, but in my case, no. So, you won’t find the fruits of Salomon and L’Art’s labor at just any old running store. Instead, you’ll have to dash to L’Art’s website on April 8, head to Paris for the marathon weekend of April 11 and 12, or pull into Salomon’s website starting on April 14.

Prices will range from $225 to $300 for the L’Art ACS Pro and S/Lab Phantasm 3, respectively, with the apparel collection ranging from $40 for the gloves to $250 for the Bonatti WP jacket.

Oh, and if you really want to get your first in-hand look at the collection, we’ll be in Paris for select Salomon activations and putting the S/Lab Phantasm 3 to its 42-kilometer test during the Paris Marathon.

You can explore the Salomon x L’Art collection on Salomon’s website on April 14, 2026, using the button below.