Everywhere you look at the moment, you’re being told ‘this is the year of the approach shoe.’ Nice one, cheers for that. But what actually is an approach shoe? Well, from what we gather, it’s a style of footwear that climbers wear while they approach their climbing destination – often utilising sticky rubber soles to provide extra grip on slick rock.
But unless you’re a climber, all you really need to know is that these low-profile hikers are everywhere at the moment. The approach shoe isn’t just approaching anymore; it’s arrived. Silhouettes like the KEEN Jasper and Scarpa Mojito are dominating the streets, and seemingly every brand is turning its hand to the silhouette of the moment…
And most of them? Not all that great. But that doesn’t hold true for Dolomite, and its new Saxifraga model – the 54 Low, which combines approach shoe DNA with more than 100 years of Italian footwear expertise.
The 54 Low belongs to Dolomite’s Saxifraga line – an experimental collection that takes its name from the Saxifraga flower, which grows among the rocky landscapes of the Alps.
The release sees Dolomite draw inspiration from what happens when the the city and the street collide – green shoots rising through cracks in asphalt, climbing concrete walls and reclaiming the grey geometry of the urban landscape. It’s a concept that feels well nestled in the current outdoor landscape, where technical kit has become increasingly comfortable away from the mountain.
As for the 54 Low itself, the silhouette sits somewhere between an approach shoe and a street-ready sneaker, with the kind of attention to detail that makes it work in both worlds. A high-quality hairy suede upper gives the shoe a tactile, rugged appearance, while a contrasting polyurethane band wraps around the silhouette, adding a distinctive hit of structure and character.
Underfoot, a Vibram sole takes its visual cues from the rough, irregular texture of asphalt, reinforcing the model’s urban edge while retaining the practical DNA you’d expect from an approach-inspired shoe.
In a world that has seemingly become approach shoe obsessed overnight, it’s challenging to create something that truly cuts through. But just like the green shoots between concrete cracks that have inspired this Saxifraga release, Dolomite’s 52 Low brings something different to an increasingly saturated market.
Dolomite’s Saxifraga 52 Low is available to purchase from dolomite.it
