Arc’teryx Walk Gently FW26 Weaves Salish Winter Traditions Into Technical Outerwear
Arc’teryx just dropped the fourth Walk Gently collection, showing how the brand connects its technical gear to the land it was founded on.
Walk Gently started in 2024 as a platform for Indigenous artists and designers to share their work and stories. The creative lead is Cole Sparrow-Crawford of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nation. For Fall/Winter 2026, the focus is Salish Winter: six gender-neutral pieces that take traditional technical practices (weaving, hide tanning, winter harvesting, moving through the land) and put them into modern outerwear.
Sparrow-Crawford put it simply: “Winter in Salish culture is a time when communities come together, celebrations take place, and an essential way of life begins—one that connects people to the land.”
The pieces reflect that. A deerskin cloak becomes a GORE-TEX shell. Cowichan sweater traditions show up in an insulated jacket. Cedar forests turn into a custom print.
Here’s what’s in the collection:
Dekoi Hardshell: Named from a variation of “decoy.” It has a deer-fur-like GORE-TEX print with high-vis orange patterning cut in for visibility during winter harvesting. Made with 70d GORE-TEX PRO ePE recycled nylon, it’s free from intentionally added PFAS. For Salish people, the deer has long been more than food. It’s a provider, teacher, and relative.
Mutton Insulated Jacket: Named after Mutton, a Salish Woolly Dog whose fur was traditionally spun into yarn for weaving. A shawl collar and stitching echo Salish sweater patterns, paired with synthetic insulation for trail use.
Adze Pant: Insulated softshell pants that nod to the adze, a traditional carving tool. Subtle trigon shapes on the legs reference the tool. Built for thermal protection in wet conditions with articulated patterning and adjustable hems.
Real Cedar LS T-Shirt: Cedar is known as the tree of life in Salish culture. This shirt features a bark-inspired print that blends into the forest, plus a bright orange Walk Gently logo on the back for visibility.
Selisya Toque: A knit toque named after Musqueam weaver Selisya Charlie, drawing from Salish sweater design and hand-knit gear.
Konseal Trek Shoe: Built for long approaches and rugged terrain. The cedar-tree camouflage print is a quiet nod to how natural materials and patterns helped people move through their territories.
Arc’teryx started on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples, and Walk Gently reflects that connection. Funds and product from each collection go directly back into the communities involved.
