MILAN, Feb 4 – French brand Salomon is betting that its role in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics will help it reconnect with its winter sports heritage after a major push into more fashion‑driven sneakers and apparel, its Global Chief Brand Officer Scott Mellin said.

Salomon is the only sports brand signed as a premium partner of the Games, a platform Mellin said will help boost the label’s global visibility.

“The driver is brand awareness,” Mellin said in an interview.

“We’re a global company. We trade in over 100 countries around the world. The Olympics are one of the very few media products that touch every trading region in the world. So it’s a way for us to solidify our technical position in the marketplace,” said Mellin, who will leave the company on April 1, after three years.

As part of its role at the Games, the French brand will supply apparel for more than 18,000 volunteers as well as thousands of staff and torchbearers.

Mellin said he expects Salomon’s brand awareness to increase by at least 25% after the Olympics, helped also by a dedicated social media campaign.

Salomon’s sales have grown significantly in recent years, despite struggles at rivals Nike and Adidas, though the brand still holds only a small share of the global sneaker market.

Founded in France in 1947 as a maker of ski edges, Salomon was acquired by Amer Sports in 2005.

While rooted in mountain sports, the company has increasingly shifted toward sneakers and apparel, which now account for around 85% of revenue. Winter sports equipment makes up the remainder.

“It’s a way for us to cement our authenticity in sport… as we’ve aggressively moved into fashion,” Mellin said.

He declined to comment on the size of the Olympic investment but said it was “well north of what most snow-sport companies spend on marketing for a whole year.”

The main shareholder of Amer Sports, which also controls Arc’teryx outdoor apparel and Wilson tennis gear, is China’s Anta Sports.

Anta last month agreed to buy a 29.06% stake in sportswear brand Puma from the Pinault family for 1.5 billion euros. REUTERS