New York Fashion Week is never short on drama, but SOREL really went for it this past Saturday with a stunt that was completely outlandish. The brand set up towering blocks of ice across the city, each one featuring all five colourways of their Callsign Horizon™ sneakers frozen inside. From Williamsburg to the Meatpacking District, curious crowds gathered to watch as the sculptures slowly melted and the shoes emerged. It was part art installation, part fashion statement, and part marketing stunt, and the mix made it feel different from anything else happening that weekend. People stopped in their tracks, took photos, and stuck around just to see how it would play out.
The sneakers at the heart of it all deserve the attention. The Callsign Horizon™ Low GTX is the debut sneaker in a collection that reimagines SOREL's most iconic product, the Caribou™ boot. These aren’t just lifestyle shoes dressed up for fashion week. They’re built with real technical features: Gore-Tex™ waterproof construction so they stand up to rain, Vibram™ outsoles that grip on slick streets or trails, and a lightweight Livelyfoam midsole that makes them comfortable for all-day wear. The uppers mix leather and textile with abrasion resistant overlays, while the Ortholite™ footbed can be swapped out or cleaned easily. Even the heel pull and flecked laces feel considered. The Callsign Horizon™ looks sharp, but it also has that no-nonsense durability that made SOREL a household name in the first place.
What’s cool is how the Callsign Horizon™ line pushes the brand into a new space without leaving its roots behind. The sneaker has a strong, architectural look that feels at home in the city, but the build quality comes straight from decades of cold-weather expertise. It’s fashion with teeth, style with actual function, and that balance is what sets it apart from so many other sneakers on the market right now.
Which brings it back to the ice stunt. It wasn’t just for show. Freezing the sneakers in seven-foot glacially inspired sculptures was a nod to SOREL’s Arctic heritage, while the slow melt made for a perfect reveal. It tied the story of the shoe directly to the brand’s origins, all while giving New Yorkers something to actually experience in real time. In a moment when so many campaigns are happening on screens or filtered through AI, there was something refreshing about a brand doing something real, something you could stand in front of, film, and remember. It was physical, it was a little weird, and it was impossible to ignore.
By the end of the day the shoes had broken free, but the impression lingered. SOREL showed that they aren’t afraid to be bold, and that their evolution into sneakers is more than just a product pivot. It’s a statement that heritage and innovation can work together, and that sometimes the best way to cut through the noise is to do something outlandish, in the middle of the street, with a crowd of strangers watching. That’s how you make people stop scrolling and start paying attention.
Imagery shot by: Dorothy Hong
