When ROA, one of the finest fashion-trek brands in the biz, takes on your signature shoe, expect magic. But the ROA x Altra Timp 5 sneaker ain't no trick: this is just gorgeously grounded design.

And I almost mean that literally: ROA and Altra's collaborative sneaker is anchored by exquisite earthy tones that epitomize ROA's undeniable appeal.

The Slam Jam-operated outdoor brand has mastered the all-important visual aspect of its oeuvre, elevating its already handsome wares to artfully sublime stylishness.

Like, setting aside the functional appeal of the ROA x Altra shoe, you gotta admire the surface level appeal alone.

Because ROA's creative language is so well-honed, it doesn't merely do brown but many shades of earth, translating the depth of dirt, mud, stone, dust and gravel into a covetably classic color palette.

This yields a sneaker not merely brown but green and black and tinged with brighter hues because the organic references that inspire ROA are not single-toned themselves.

In short: a terrifically stylish sneaker.

But ROA and Altra's Timp 5 is also a technical marvel, retaining the original's FootShape make — as in, it follows the contours of the human foot — and zero drop platform, meaning that as chunky as this shoe is, it's also low to the ground. GORE-TEX lining battles external moisture and Altra's EGO MAX foam cushioning promises what the company calls "exceptional comfort" on even inclement terrain.

All that and the shoe weighs just over a half-pound. Feel it yourself when the collaborative Timp 5 drops on ROA's site and stores for the Fall/Winter 2024 season around August.

ROA's good taste has already been canonized in prolific collaborations with a host of influential partners, ranging in clout from Loro Piana to JJJJound to upstart outdoor label J.L-A.L.

And, further, as ROA flexes its design acumen with its expanding apparel offering, its prescience is reflected in an outpouring of good-looking trail designs from labels that don't necessarily specialize in adventure gear.

We're talking about fashionably functional shoes from HOKA, Nike ACG, New Balance and even Crocs, whose charmingly old-school outdoor clog reflects a whole 'nother type of trend.

ROA was ahead of it all. And by putting so much consideration into even one-off collabs like the Alta shoe, it shows how it stays one lightweight step ahead of the curve.