Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper Releases May 21
Carpet Company channels a decade of irreverent design into a Salomon XT-Whisper collaboration rooted in the Maryland brand's beloved company van. The Habibi Express—a fire-red Honda Acty with iridescent accents—becomes the muse for a sneaker that translates the van's visual character into technical footwear.
By Ava Rodriguez
Carpet Company has built its reputation on controlled chaos: collaborations that feel personal rather than corporate, designs that prioritize concept over convention. A decade into operation, the brand continues that streak through an unlikely partnership with Salomon, a Swiss technical outfitter rarely associated with streetwear's playful edge.
The catalyst is the Habibi Express, a 1980s Honda Acty van that has become something of a mascot within Carpet Company's Baltimore orbit. Founders Ayman and Osama Abdeldayem have long deployed the vehicle as both transport and symbol—a rolling embodiment of the brand's ethos. Rather than treat the collaboration as a standard colorway exercise, Carpet Company extracted the van's visual DNA: iridescent shimmer, deep red body work, and chrome detailing.
Design Details
Those elements surface across the Salomon XT-Whisper with deliberate restraint. The lace tag carries iridescent overlay work, while thinned synthetic overlays deliver moody, smoldering tones that echo the van's metallic finish. The sole unit employs chrome accents paired with darkened mustard yellow—a throwback nod to the Habibi Express's original colorway. Carpet Company's signature wonky star logo appears as a branding note, a final gesture toward the brand's characteristic visual language.
The XT-Whisper serves as an interesting canvas for the collaboration. Salomon's trail-adjacent silhouette sits outside typical streetwear vernacular, yet its technical construction—layered overlays, aggressive lug patterning, mixed material compositions—aligns with the kind of visual density Carpet Company favors in their footwear work.
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Release Info
Product: Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper (Void colorway)
Retail Price: $170
Release Schedule:
- May 16: In-store at Carpet Company (Baltimore)
- May 17: Carpet Company online
- May 21: Salomon and select retailers (wide launch)
SKU: L45466900
