Handmade in Italy, Houdini and Demon Join Forces on the Silvestre Approach Shoe

Where adventure meets elegance, where civilisation meets the untamed, you find Silvestre

Meaning “of the woods” or “of the wild” the Silvestre showcases two highly respected brands’ vision of effortless movement between urban and wild whilst reconnecting the wearer to the deeper, more untamed spaces of our world.

In recent years Swedish outdoor collective Houdini, with its origins in Scandinavian mountaineering tradition, has forged a reputation for reimagining technical outdoor apparel and circular design through the lens of beauty. Similarly, Demon, an Italian brand founded in the legendary location of Montebelluna in1963 has become known for its fusing of technical mountaineering heritage with avant-garde design—blending artisanal tradition with alchemic innovation. Joining forces, the two brands have set out to explore the borderlands of the cultured and the untamed, blending the raw elegance and technical footwear expertise of Demon with Houdini’s visionary work and commitment to beauty and technical outdoor layering systems for a life lived in harmony with nature.

Released this week, the light, technical Silvestre approach sets out to challenge the conventions of traditional outdoor aesthetics with an effortless elegance designed to complete the perfectly curated outdoor minimalist wardrobe that Houdini has become known for.

Chief Product Officer at Houdini Sportswear Jesper Danielsson had this to say about the design process behind this inspired new silhouette:  “I find the fusion of cultures intriguing and by challenging the archetypical aesthetics of this category and adding a layer of raw elegance to top tier functionality, we achieve a product that performs in an alpine setting, but also far beyond. With co-founder and Demon’s creative director Alberto Deon adding: “Silvestre exists between expression and constraint, function and fiction. Born from the ashes of a traditional idea of sportswear and mountaineering—one where personal expression was secondary—it marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing dialogue around functional fashion.”

Merging the core elements of hiking shoes with the precision of climbing slippers and the resilience of mountaineering boots, the Silvestre offers genuine functionality too. Designed to deliver both stability and traction on rock and comfort over long distances, the shoes can adapt seamlessly from trail to technical scrambling.Having been designed, engineered and handmade with the craftsmanship of technical mountaineering boots from the true home of this artisanal tradition, Montebelluna. Combining a minimalist streamlined architecture with robust and supportive structure key design features of the Silvestre include: a tough rubber-rand reinforcement with protective layers for multi-day alpine missions, a slip-on microfibre gaiter, a super-crepe micro-porous EVA midsole and a Vibram outer sole.

The limited edition Houdini x Demon Silvestre is now available at demonfootwear.com and houdinisportswear.com as well as through the following retailers: 

Dover Street Market, Paris

Arys Store, Berlin

Antonioli, Milano

Field Day, Taipei

Gr8, Tokyo 

Hypebeast / HBS, Hong Kong

I.T, Hong Kong/Shanghai

Field Theory, St. Louis

Machus, Portland

Windthrow, Seattle

Ka-Yo, Stockholm

Houdini, Stockholm 

Demon, Montebelluna