Salomon x LCF: Students Create ‘Wearable Tools’ for Bodies in Motion
- Written byS Cheevers
- Published date 20 April 2026
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In a recent collaboration with Salomon, students from London College of Fashion (LCF), UAL designed ‘Wearable Tools’, modular systems built to move, protect, and perform. The project challenged students to think beyond traditional categories, creating silhouettes that act as functional interfaces between the body and the world.
Students from BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories, BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Embroidery, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Knit, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Print formed 9 teams, each responding to a pre-given micro-demographic.
- The Remote Responder needed gear for protection, containment, and mobility in unstable environments.
- The Resilient Repairer worked on the move, demanding adaptable, durable, and tool-integrated solutions.
- The Community Courier required garments for balance, load-bearing, and collective resilience while delivering supplies across challenging terrain.
Each group produced a full silhouette system, including footwear, apparel, and accessories that embodied their brief, while integrating Saloman’s Hybridization vision: merging contradictory demands into a clear, performative identity. Students navigated dualities such as performance vs. sports style, innovation vs. heritage, freedom vs. control, urban vs. outdoor, and isolation vs. connection, creating gear capable of transformation.
The teams presented their concepts to Salomon, showcasing research, design development, 3D prototypes, and detailed plans for how footwear, accessories, and sportswear function together as integrated systems.
Congratulations to the winning group: Samuel Bentley, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear, Catherine Guo, BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear, Haley Yu, BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear, Nick Reighard, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories , Lilas Robin-Prevallee, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories, Lily Brooke-Taylor, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Embroidery, and Charley Huggett, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Knit.
"We pushed this second iteration [of the industry project with LCF] further by bringing together four disciplines and asking students to design as a collective rather than as individuals. Under the ‘wearable tools’ direction, the work became less about isolated products and more about building complete silhouettes and systems. The level of thinking, collaboration and execution was genuinely impressive, the results went beyond what we expected."
- Max Virkkunen, Footwear Designer, Salomon
Individual prize winners include Louise Thewes, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear, Ace Bottomley, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories, Alina Song, BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear, and Lili Mizuno (BA Hons: Fashion Textiles: Embroidery).
Winners participated in a photoshoot led by Rob Phillips, Creative Director, School of Design and Technology, exhibited their work in LCF’s Wolfson Gallery, and received a cash prize.
Listen to the podcast for a conversation between Max Virkkunen, Footwear Designer at Salomon and LCF Cordwainers alumni, and Edward Harber, LCF Associate Lecturer.
This partnership between Salomon and LCF highlights the intersection of design, innovation, and adaptability, showcasing the value of hybridity and responsiveness in emerging designers navigating a transforming world.