What would happen if Sir Edmund Hillary popped three tabs of acid before climbing Mount Everest? He’d probably emerge from the summit wearing Flower Mountains.
The bright, bold and often bonkers footwear manufacturer is one of the most interesting in its field. Where most types of footwear can be categorised – dress shoes, hikers, loafers, trainers, sneakers – Flower Mountain resists categorisation completely.
It’s got attributes of hiking footwear – Vibram soles, and hardwearing materials. But then has the sort of colourways and fabrics you’d expect from a sneaker brand like New Balance. We like to think Flower Mountain’s eclectic offering is down to their Italian heritage – sort of like if Alfa Romeo made shoes.
But the very reasons that Flower Mountain is impossible to categorise, are the same reasons that make us love the brand so much. You never know what you’re going to find when Flower Mountain announce a new collection – and that’s the exact position we find ourselves in today, as the brand has just launched their new AW26 collection.
And true to form, AW26 doesn’t make things any easier to nail down. The collection continues to sit somewhere between the outdoors and everyday life, combining lighter, more versatile silhouettes with winter-ready materials including wool, faux-fur and tartan. It’s functional – but in true Flower Mountain style – not at the expense of personality.
Perhaps the best example of this is the new Harmony of Traditions capsule. The collection takes inspiration from three traditional Japanese craftsmanship techniques – Mikawa cotton, Kurashiki canvas and Sashiko stitching – and applies them to the Yamano 3 and Iwano 2. It’s an unusually considered approach to footwear, bringing centuries-old textile techniques into distinctly contemporary designs.
Elsewhere, Flower Mountain continues to experiment with its silhouettes. The Back Country 2 takes the traditional outdoor shoe and makes it lighter and more breathable, while the new Sanchia and Ranya introduce softer, streamlined shapes designed with everyday urban wear in mind.
Then there’s the Kazana Fall, which transforms the woven construction of its summer predecessor into an all-season silhouette, and the Asuka 3, which updates the brand’s vintage-inspired aesthetic with greater flexibility and a revised internal structure.
So, while we still can’t quite tell you what category Flower Mountain belongs in, we’re not sure we’d want to. After all, the eccentricity is the point. And if AW26 proves anything, it’s that Flower Mountain is more than happy to keep us guessing.
Find out more about Flower Mountain’s AW26 release at flowermountain.com
