Arc’teryx’s Next Great Shoe Is Part Jacket, Part Beanie
Arc’teryx jackets are so good that they became the definitive style of the recent outdoors-inclined fashion movement. Their performance was key, of course, as Arc’teryx is a world leader in durable wetness-and-wind-defeating gear. But the Arc’teryx buzz goes deeper than functionality.
Arc’teryx jackets are simply stylish in a way other outdoor gear isn’t. Its signature Beta and Alpha jackets have an enviable clean-cut simplicity and the brand’s logo is so cool that beanies covered in the “deadbird” logo remain best-sellers. Arc’teryx’s newest trail sneaker brings together both of these distinct design cues with a sleek silhouette akin to its jackets and a huge logo just like its toques.
The Sylan 2, Arc’teryx’s new shoe, is a trail runner designed for speed. The midsole houses a carbon-fiber plate — a prerequisite for all “super shoes” — and the engineered woven upper keeps things lightweight, each shoe weighing in at only 10 ounces.
If the Sylan 2’s trail credentials are impressive, its looks are even more so. While the sneaker’s techiness is palpable from the no-sew overlays, it isn’t garishly sporty in the way many running shoes can be (especially those from the not-so-distant past).
Plus, the tonal paneling on its debut grey and yellow colorways lend to the clean feel.
The one non-lowkey thing about this shoe, though, is the logo that sprawls from midsole to toe box. This is considerably bigger branding than that seen on the Sylan 1, Arc’teryx’s first in-house sneaker.
But as those beanies, ubiquitous in youth culture and worn by everyone from Timothée Chalamet to Frank Ocean, have proven, there's nothing wrong with a huge Arc’teryx logo.
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