Here’s a brand collaboration with a bit of a difference – two shoe specialists combining to create a striking new piece of footwear that’s debuting at the Paris Fashion Week this week.
Usually, hybrid shoe designs involve one brand’s signature footwear being given a makeover by a company known for a different look, but the ROA x Altra Timp 5 trail running shoe is the joint product of gorpcore* hiking shoe brand ROA and zero-drop running shoe specialist Altra.
And if you’re familiar with both those brands’ design ethics, then you’ll immediately see that the ROA x Altra Timp 5 looks exactly like the lovechild of the two.
Gorpcore is a fashion trend in which outerwear typically designed for outdoor recreation is worn as streetwear, particularly popular amongst rappers. The name is a fushion of normcore (a phrase used to describe average, blend-in clothing) and a popular hiking snack, Gorp.
Using the Altra Timp 5 as its springboard, the new shoe has been given a moody, earth-toned redesign that exudes ROA’s design aesthetic. The solid black midsole especially reflects the kind of rugged footwear you find in the Italian company’s catalog.
Italy-based ROA worked their aesthetic magic to treat the midsole unit in solid black that mimics footwear in its own catalog, such as the Pala and the Katharina. The all-black Vibram Megagrip sole also feels way more ROA than Altra.
The green-brown colorway of the upper doesn’t sound like a stylish combo on paper, but look at the images here – it looks gorgeous in a deliciously subtle way. Even the normally shouty Altra logo takes a step back.
On a more technical level, the shoe boasts Altra’s usual spacious FootShape toe box, a proprietary supportive construction and a Gore-Tex upper liner (apparently, ROA has never released a GoreTex product before now). They’re also gaiter friendly.
With its gorpcore cred, it’s no wonder the ROA x Altra Timp 5 is being shown off first on the runways and catwalks of Paris. But the real question is: will it function better on the streets or on the trails?
Or maybe, how much will it cost? Because that hasn’t been revealed yet. Presumably we’ll learn that nearer the shoe’s official release later this year.
- The best road to trail running shoes 2024: footwear for all terrains
