Italian Outdoor Brand Demon Has Come Back From the Dead

With a plethora of technical, trail-ready kicks dropping from big brands, fashion partnerships and independent upstarts alike, there’s never been a better time to get into the great outdoors. Milan’s Slam Jam already foretold the advent of the outdoors movement with its efforts for ROA footwear, now it’s deepening its bond with adventure footwear by relaunching defunct Italian hiking shoe brand Demon.

Founded in 1963 in the Italian manufacturing hub of Montebelluna, Veneto, Demon has been given a new lease on life. Slam Jam’s progressive tastes have exploded the brand’s original silhouettes, yielding a trio of styles equally suited to functioning as statement pieces or mountain climbers. The low-top Poyana, zippered Graelòn and tall Carbonàz are each crafted by hand in Italy, distinguished by their different heights, closures and intelligent design cues that make them essential for anyone seeking to conquer Italy’s imposing Dolomites or Mont Blanc.

Each sporting dramatic, extended sole units, the boots are all realized in tonal black and premium materials to ensure versatility and functionality, further bolstered by unique touches. For instance, the Graelòn model features anti-scuff, waterproof microfiber uppers atop a sturdy temeark Vibram outsole while the Carbonàz is comparably lighter thanks to its Putex Textile-made membrane upper and feather-weight Vibram rubber outsole. The Poyana, meanwhile, are more arguably street-friendly than their counterparts, thanks to a slick veg-tanned leather upper and lowered ankle opening — they’re no more fragile, however, thanks to powerful eFoam Protection Binding that wraps the Poyana’s entire front panel.

Demon’s debut collection will hit Slam Jam’s site and store shortly — visit Demon’s site for more information.

Even more rugged outdoor footwear is rolling out ahead of winter, as evidenced by Merrell’s suede MQM Ace silhouette.