By Silvia Galliani
With Fabio Tambosi
Fabio Tambosi talks about the 30 years of the Saucony Shadow 6000
Turning 30 is an important milestone, and when it’s reached by an iconic shoe model like the Shadow 6000, it must be celebrated properly, and so it was. On Monday, September 6th, Saucony, the US company with 123 years of history behind it, leader in the running world, chose Milan as the city in which to celebrate the anniversary of this historic model born in 1991. During the event, the special drop of the Shadow 6000 were unveiled: the OG version that faithfully recalls the colors of the origins – white, gray and blue – and the Pearl version that chooses stylistic details that recall the pearls, the jewel symbol of the 30 years. We had the chance to meet Fabio Tambosi, Saucony’s new Chief Marketing Officer, who told us how his collaboration with the brand began and what his impressions are of this important anniversary.
Fabio, first of all tell us something about your story.
I was born and raised in Brazil, so I’m Brazilian, but I also have Italian ancestry because both of my grandparents are Italian. When I was 17 I moved to the United States, where I lived for six years, playing football and soccer. In the following years I traveled the world working in technology for companies like Nokia and Telecom and thanks to this job I had the chance to travel and live always in different places, like Saudi Arabia, Great Britain, Germany… Most of my career has always been divided between technology and sport. During these years I got married and built a family. My wife is originally from Slovakia, I have a daughter born in the United States and a six-month-old boy born in Germany. We travel a lot and are often asked where we live or where we feel most at home. I respond by saying it’s where we are happy together.
How did your collaboration with Saucony begin?
I started working with them seven months ago in April. It’s still early days, but we are very close-knit and so far the experience has been very exciting.
Returning to sports, in recent months and years we have seen an increasing contamination between lifestyles, sports and increasingly high performance products. Is something similar happening within Saucony?
I think so. Designers who work in this industry are, like everyone else, very influenced by what’s going on in the world. The mutual contamination between innovation and lifestyle is now part of everyday life, not only at Saucony. Just think of the Shadow 6000, shoes originally designed for running, but today an example of how the two worlds can converge. The choice to call the collection “Saucony Originals” is not random. In fact, with the adjective original we want to show the world how much Saucony’s DNA is deeply linked to the origin of the sport itself. Runners are not only runners, but also professionals, friends, musicians, mothers and fathers… and the company intends to highlight more and more the multidimensionality of the human being. To explain this new trend I often use this metaphor: when we see a superhero, like Spider-Man, we don’t fall in love with the hero’s abilities, but with Peter Parker and his flaws. This is what we need to show the world, the fact that running can be so much more than just a sport.
You mentioned the Saucony Shadow 6000, a model that just turned 30 years old. Why is this shoe so important to Saucony?
The area in which Saucony is placed experiences a constant stream of change. However, Saucony’s silhouette has something special about it that has stood the test of time, which is why the company has chosen to reintroduce it for so many years. We will continue to celebrate the classics and reinvent ourselves at the same time. When a model becomes this iconic, it means you’ve created a canvas through which people can express themselves.
Saucony is a very strong brand from both a lifestyle and performance perspective. Currently it is very rare in this field to find other companies that are so competitive in both areas. In your opinion, is it difficult to be strong in both areas?
In these first seven months of working at Saucony I have spent a lot of time studying the brand. Being strong in terms of both lifestyle and performance is deeply rooted in the brand identity and is now part of the way we work. It’s an interesting aspect, but at the same time difficult to explain because it’s so much a part of who we are.
Lately the market has seen an increase in people choosing to do trail running. Do you think this is a temporary trend, destined to remain pandemic-related, or do you think it could be a trend that will grow?
It’s difficult to predict the future of trail running, but it is evident how people in the last year and a half have become more attentive and aware of their well-being. Trail running gives you the opportunity to get in touch with yourself, with other people and with nature. This allows you to escape from everyday life and is a need that goes beyond the pandemic. We have been forced to sit still and I believe that because of this, the need to be more in touch with nature and to improve our well-being will remain with us. A very similar example is related to the increase in the last period of people engaging in yoga or meditation: we live in a hectic and hyper-connected world and we increasingly feel the need to disconnect and slow down. During this summer’s Olympics, we saw sensational victories and new records being set mainly because those who participated in the competitions had the opportunity to rest and “slow down” during the months of the pandemic.
One last question, what is your favorite Saucony model and why?
It’s like asking me to pick my favorite child! It really depends on the occasion: today I’m in love with the Shadow 6000, mostly for comfort, while other times if I want to feel bolder I prefer the Grid Webs. I also often use the Endorphin Speed for both jogging and everyday activities, like going to brunch with my wife. Other times if I want to give my all in running I choose the Endorphin Pro. I always test all products and can guarantee that each one has the right features for every occasion.
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