Comme des Garçons x Salomon XT-6 Expanse Platform

A platform is usually treated as an addition, height stacked under a shoe that was fine without it. On a technical silhouette it works differently, because a shoe built for ground contact is defined by its relationship to the ground, and lifting it away from that relationship is a substantive change rather than a cosmetic one. The XT-6 is Salomon’s model, and this is a platform version of it, which means the recognizable upper is held above a sole that has stopped pretending to be a trail sole and become a plinth. In white the whole construction is legible, since a pale shoe shows the stack and a dark one hides it. Made in China.

Why we selected it

The technical shoe has been in general circulation long enough that most versions of it are costume. This one changes the geometry rather than the graphics, which is a real design decision and a rarer one.

Comme des Garçons has worked with Salomon among other athletic makers, and this is a house-level collaboration rather than one attached to any of its lines.

Materials and construction

We do not hold a composition for this shoe, and we cannot tell you what it is made of. What we can say: it is a platform version of Salomon’s XT-6. Made in China. Color: White.

Sizing and dimensions

Held on a numeric run, and we cannot tell you whether that run is men’s, women’s, or unisex, which matters more on this pair than on the other two because the run spans both conventions. We hold no width and no platform height. Please ask us and we will check them with you.

Styling

With the Junya Watanabe Wool Twill Skirt, where the platform does something to the leg line that a flat shoe does not. With the Homme Nylon Trousers, hem breaking on the platform rather than above it.

Care

A sneaker is a set of different materials held together with adhesive, so keep it out of a machine and away from heat, which is what releases the bond between the upper and the sole. Clean the upper by hand and the sole separately. Our care guidance covers the rest, including how to handle an object made of more than one material.

Related pieces

The Homme x New Balance 860v2 is a running shoe in suede and mesh, and the Homme Plus x Nike low-top is built on a mesh base. Everything we carry from Comme des Garçons is listed together.