Each season, we’re absolutely buzzing to see what Merrell 1TRL have been cooking up. And in their case, it is quite literally cooking up – most of the silhouettes and colourways look as if they’ve been produced inside a big vat of iridescent goop in some crazy laboratory. Their footwear is truly like nothing else, and even if you’re not into it, you can’t help but appreciate their devotion to the craft of mental footwear.
And now, the time has come to lift the lid on the bubbling beakers and see what the mad alchemists have conjured up for SS26. As expected (and exactly as we’d hoped), it’s unapologetically Merrell 1TRL through and through.
This season’s experiments are conducted under the banner of Modern Heritage – a concept that sees the brand simultaneously mining its deep archives and continuing to push boldly into the future.
Throughout the collection, historic and contemporary influences are stirred together in carefully calculated doses. Open meshes carrying ornate motifs sit alongside full-grain leathers and textural suedes that nod to traditional shoemaking, while high-shine colour finishes, neoprene elements, and Vibram® sole units pull everything firmly into functional future-facing territory.
Several new silhouettes enter the 1TRL universe for SS26, some resurrected from archival DNA, and others are entirely new lifeforms. The season also further reinforces the crossover between Merrell’s MTL performance division and the 1TRL design lab, blending trail-running credibility with exploratory, fashion-forward design.
One of the headline debuts is the Relay Web 1TRL, hailing from Merrell’s early-2000s Sprint product family. Track-inspired roots have been fused with trail functionality, resulting in a low-profile silhouette constructed from full-grain leather with suede overlays.
The ever-reliable Moab 2 Remix also receives a material upgrade, now constructed from molded suede leather with full-grain accenting. Signature details such as the asymmetric lacing system and iconic Moab sole unit remain intact, grounding the silhouette in familiarity while allowing new textures to flourish.
Performance footwear continues to play a crucial role in the 1TRL ecosystem. MTL silhouettes once again receive exclusive Merrell 1TRL colorways, with the MTL Adapt Matryx and Skyfire 2 featuring Kevlar-infused uppers dressed in seasonal Umber and Comet hues.
So all in all, the lab doors have been kicked wide open, the beakers have evidently been bubbling, and Merrell 1TRL show no signs of dialling down their beautiful madness anytime soon.
The Merrell 1TRL collection will be available to purchase from Merrell on Thursday, 12th February
