Shoes and automotive rubber brands have had collaborations for a few years now – the popular adidas boost range of running shoes with Continental rubber, to name one – and it appears that the latest item to emerge in this scene is the Etnies Michelin Marana, with outsoles manufactured by French tyre manufacturer Michelin, who make tyres such as the Pilot Sport 4 S for performance cars, and the Primacy SUV for more utilitarian usage.

Michelin has been in collaboration with footwear makers since 2014 under the banner of Michelin Technical Soles, and its latest lifestyle tie-up came from the need to use a more durable outsole for Etnies’ Marana range of skate shoes; the footwear brand found that the shoe’s uppers were found to outlast its outsoles.

With the Etnies Marana it has employed a rubber compound said to be inspired by its PC00 rally competition tyre for use as the shoe’s outsole. Large tread sculptures are used for durability, a high contact surface for support and shock absorption, an interlocking design for grip, while multiple flex lines aid board control and reactivity.

When automotive brands collaborate with lifestyle or everyday brands, the resulting products aren’t always the most effective, whether in terms of cost or fitness for purpose. The Etnies Michelin Marana does, however, appear to have a promising level of utility, even if one won’t necessarily take to the vert ramps, or the streets, for that matter. What do you think of these tyre-inspired shoes, dear readers?