It seems Salomon Sportsyle XT-6s, XT-4s, ACS Pros, and other models are approaching peak mainstream—says me who all but got his during the pandemic and wore it until its rugged outsole nearly smoothed out.

I still wear it though for the knowing looks with fellow Salomon believers IRL. And because it is somehow still “cool” (whatever that means) even though it looks like everyone’s in on the “joke” of wearing shoes made for trails to the streets now. Think of it as the Hoka for “zillennials.”

Adding some oomph to the shoes that I have now definitely helps with the temptation to get new pairs. It’s much cheaper to accessorize your shoes

Plus, there are still a couple of ways you can make your Salomon-wearing self stand out in a sea of, well, other Salomon-wearing selves. If you weren’t able to avail of the collab releases with Sandy Liang and MM6 Maison Margiela, the French outdoors brand still regularly comes out with sumptuous colorways and monochrome(!) versions.

WATCH: Ilyang Ilyang founder Daphne turns a crocheting hobby into a business

*Photo courtesy of Ilyang-Ilyang/Instagram*

Or you can accessorize your Salomons with these crocheted charms made by the uber-creative crochet artist Daphne Chao AKA Ilyang Ilyang. Her “Bolomons,” as it came to be known, are what Chao imagines to be an accessory to XT-6’s signature Quicklace system, which she believes to be “bolo ties” for your shoes.

I want to keep attaching different crochet accessories on my Salomons. It’s gonna be like Jibbitz but for sneakers.

The 10-petalled bolomons come in 13 colors for the first drop, which is sold out as of writing and may or may not have a second release. We asked Chao why among other things—like why she loves accessorizing her Salomons and whether or not it is still cool to wear them in the first place.

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First off, do you think Salomons are mainstream now? Your boyfriend Carlo Aragon can also chime in since he has a doctorate in Salomonology. See what I did there?

According to Dr. Aragon, Salomon Sportstyle is still pretty much a growing brand and the XT-6 is a popular silhouette that’s gaining traction in the streetwear and fashion domain.

Personally, I also don’t think they’re that mainstream yet which adds to its charm.

What model/s do you have and how do you wear them?

Right now, I have three pairs of XT-6s while Carlo has a bajillion ranging from the XT-6s to X-ALP models. The model that I have is very versatile and can be worn with anything which makes them the most sought-after model in the Sportstyle line. These days, I like to wear them with skirts and shorts paired with some cute socks because the summer heat is unbearable but also it makes a good excuse to show off the Bolomons

Before the Bolomon, there was the sock collar, right? Then there was the Salobloom and the Bowlomon. Is it safe to say you like accessorizing your shoes?

OMG, yes! After making the first Bolomon with the sock collar, the urge to keep accessorizing my Salomons was strong. Adding some oomph to the shoes that I have now definitely helps with the temptation to get new pairs. It’s much cheaper to accessorize your shoes and doesn’t take up storage (my biggest problem lol). Strongly believe that dressing up your shoes is the next new thing!

Where did the idea for Bolomons come from?

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I received a pair of the newly released XT-6 Gore-Tex (thanks, Salomonology!) last November. The colorway was really fun, and I was joking around saying what if I crocheted on it. I sat and stared at it for a bit while playing with the Quicklace system because I didn’t have a lot of pairs that had something like that. Just a week before that, I was wearing a bolo tie to an event. It hit me: “Wait, what if the Quicklace tie is really just a bolo tie for your shoes?” The idea to make collar socks came after that because I thought that would emphasize what the accessory was without having to explain it too much.

Can you tell us how Bolomons work, and how they attach to the footwear?

People who received their Bolomons have figured it out already but they’re held up with magic. Haha. It took some months since they first made an appearance on Ilyang Ilyang for me to revisit and redesign it. Originally, they had to be crocheted directly on your Salomons. If you have trouble committing to one design that would’ve been a problem. I wanted to give people the option to take them off or switch them out to a different Bolomon color. Eventually, I was able to find a clasp that works for the design and used that. Now you can wear them with any shoes that have laces.

Did I imagine it or was the first order for Bolomons an overseas one? And even a Salomon official collab, if I remember correctly? Tell me I did not just make that up.

You’re a real one for even knowing about this. Haha. Yes, the first release of the Bolomons happened in Beijing for Salomon China’s Speedcross 3 event. That was about 300 pairs of the first version of the Bolomons. This came after the Salobloom Speedcross 3 project I had with Salomon Sportstyle.

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On Apr. 1—on April Fools! Brave—you released the full lineup for the Bolomons for sale for the first time locally. How much were they? How many were they and who ended up buying them? Are there more local or more international customers?

Thank you! Though it wasn’t planned to be released on April Fools but it seems to be on brand anyway. Lol. The release was planned to be in the last week of March but there was some delay in the materials. The Bolomons were P800 per pair and 13 colors were available.

Prior to the release, the inquiries for them were mostly from international customers but shipping from our country is crazy expensive. For this drop, buyers were mostly from the Philippines. Luckily there were international buyers who didn’t mind the shipping fee. We’ll have some stock with US-based shop @girlswhodresslikeboys soon to make it easier and hopefully cheaper for other international buyers.

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And since it is sold out, do you plan to make more for perhaps a second drop even though you said there may not be another because “They’re a real pain in the butt to make and prepare”?

Yeah, the plan was to do one drop so that I could move on to designing other things but a lot of people missed out on the first drop. After reading DMs from people asking for another drop, I decided to do a last one with a different color selection. No dates yet but definitely within the year!

How else do you see yourself accessorizing your Salomons after Bolomons?

Now that I use a clasp to make them detachable, the limit does not exist! I had other ideas already but now it’s just a matter of finding the time to make them. I want to keep attaching different crochet accessories on my Salomons. It’s going to be like Jibbitz but for sneakers.

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Photos courtesy of Ilyang-Ilyang/Instagram