Purple Mountain Observatory Presents: The Calyx™

Introducing the Calyx™, Purple Mountain Observatory’s debut footwear silhouette, designed and developed in collaboration with Vibram. A modern interpretation of the classic camp shoe, the Calyx™ is built for those moments between effort and recovery. Engineered through Vibram’s advanced StratX formula, the Calyx’s seamless waterproof upper is sculpted from a single sheet of special rubber, eliminating the need for traditional stitching or layering. Its name draws from the sepals of a flower, a whorl of leaves that forms a protective layer around the bud, a natural structure that speaks to resilience, shelter, and readiness for what’s next.

The Vibram Grivola outsole delivers lightweight grip with its Vibram Megagrip compound, durability, and all-weather traction, making it equally suited to the trail, forest, dry or wet and anything in between.

The Calyx™ launch campaign was captured in Goathland, North Yorkshire, by photographer Aintfussed, documenting a day in the life of tattoo artist and hiking enthusiast Alex Coates. A true outdoorsman, Alex embodies the ethos of Purple Mountain Observatory: grounded, inquisitive, and always in motion.

On his hikes, Alex often discovers ram skulls, symbolic relics he carefully cleans and collects. “They always just seem to find me,” he reflects, as though nature recognises its own. One is inked on the side of his head, amongst mountains and trees, a permanent reminder of his connection to the land.

“I just tattoo, get tattoo’d and hike,” he says. “That’s why I’m happy.”

The Calyx™ is made for people like Alex; those with a beautiful sole.

Available in both a Black/Brown & Lilac/Khaki colourways