Side Kicks Streetwear • Global Release Guide
Updated: 14 May 2026
About the release
Carpet Company and Salomon have produced one of the more distinctive collaborations of 2026. The Baltimore skate brand founded by brothers Ayman and Osama Abdeldayem has taken the XT-Whisper Void and reworked it entirely around their 1995 Honda Acty Street van — the 'Habibi Express' — a fire-red Japanese microvan with devil horns on the roof and reflective windows that has become the defining object of Carpet Company's universe.
The shoe matches the van's paint job in high-gloss red, uses iridescent TPU overlays to mimic the reflective windows, and carries custom Carpet Company devil horns graphics and a C-Star logo hit on the lateral toe. Production is strictly limited to 1,720 individually numbered pairs globally — a direct reference to 1720 Llewelyn Ave, the Baltimore warehouse address where the Habibi Express is parked. Style code L45466900.
The global release is 21 May 2026 via Salomon for £170.
TL;DR – Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper Void 'Habibi Express' Release Date, Price & Where to Buy
- Global release date: 21 May 2026 via Salomon
- Model: Salomon XT-Whisper Void
- Colourway: Fiery Red / Black / Ftw Silver (Habibi Express)
- Style code: L45466900
- UK retail price: £170
- Production run: 1,720 individually numbered pairs worldwide
- Sizing: Unisex
- Where to buy: Salomon (global, 21 May)
- Key details: High-gloss red upper matched to Habibi Express van, iridescent TPU overlays, devil horns graphics, C-Star logo, yellow outsole, blue sockliner, gradient tongue stabiliser
Release dates: staggered rollout
The Habibi Express rolled out in three stages. The Carpet Company Baltimore retail store got it first on 16 May 2026 — the first release in their newly opened flagship. Online at carpetco.us followed on 17 May at 8 PM EST. The global release via Salomon lands on 21 May 2026 and is the primary window for UK buyers.
With only 1,720 pairs in existence and all three windows already generating significant attention, stock at the global Salomon stage will be very limited.
Design: the Habibi Express translated into a shoe
The upper arrives in a high-gloss red that is matched directly to the Habibi Express van's paint job. It is a bold, lacquered finish that sits a long way from the standard muted technical runner aesthetic of the XT-Whisper Void. The iridescent TPU overlays are there to mimic the van's reflective windows — catching light differently depending on the angle, giving the shoe a prismatic quality that makes it hard to look away from.
Black hits the backing mesh and midsole (representing the van's tyres), yellow runs on the outsole and blue fills the sockliner. A gradient blend of blue, green and yellow animates the tongue stabiliser. The C-Star logo sits on the lateral toe, and Carpet Company's signature devil horns — the same ones that sit on the roof of the actual van — round out the graphics. Every detail on this shoe connects back to a specific feature of the Habibi Express.
Each pair is individually numbered out of 1,720, and the number is printed on the shoe. Owning pair 001 or 1720 is going to be a very specific thing. The 1,720 figure itself is the street address — 1720 Llewelyn Ave — of the Carpet Company Baltimore warehouse where the van lives.
Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper Void images
Credit: Salomon / Carpet Company
Carpet Company: who they are
Carpet Company is a Baltimore-based skate brand founded in 2016 by brothers Ayman and Osama Abdeldayem. The brand built itself from the ground up through a DIY approach to screen-printing tees and decks — self-taught, instinct-driven and entirely community-facing. The C-Star logo and the Habibi Express van have become the two most recognisable elements of their identity in the skate world.
The XT-Whisper Void is Carpet Company's first non-skate shoe collaboration and the first release in their newly opened Baltimore flagship. The Salomon partnership started when a box of unreleased XT-Whisper Voids literally fell apart on a Paris street in front of the Abdeldayem brothers and their friend Chris Ritchie, Salomon's North America lifestyle director. The brothers clocked the shoes immediately. Months later when Ritchie reached out to work on something, they knew exactly which silhouette they wanted.
Why this release matters
The 1,720 pair limit makes this one of the most genuinely scarce releases in Salomon's collab history. It is not a marketing number — it is the warehouse address. That specificity is exactly what separates a story-led limited release from a standard limited drop, and it gives every numbered pair a concrete meaning beyond its position in a production run.
The shoe itself is also technically impressive. Translating the specific visual language of a 1995 Japanese microvan — the gloss red, the reflective windows, the devil horns, the yellow underbody — into a Salomon technical runner without it feeling like a costume is difficult. The execution here works because every design choice is traceable back to a specific feature of the actual vehicle.
Where to buy
The Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper Void 'Habibi Express' global release is 21 May 2026 via Salomon for £170. Browse all Salomon releases, XT-Whisper Void drops and all Carpet Company releases on Side Kicks.
FAQ
When does the Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper Void 'Habibi Express' release globally?
The global release is Thursday 21 May 2026 via Salomon. Earlier windows dropped at Carpet Company's Baltimore store on 16 May and at carpetco.us on 17 May.
How much does the Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper Void cost in the UK?
UK retail price is £170.
What is the style code for the Carpet Company x Salomon XT-Whisper Void?
The style code is L45466900. The colourway is Fiery Red / Black / Ftw Silver.
Why is the Carpet Company x Salomon limited to 1,720 pairs?
The 1,720 number is a direct reference to 1720 Llewelyn Ave — the address of Carpet Company's Baltimore warehouse where the Habibi Express van is stored. Each pair is individually numbered out of 1,720.
What is the Habibi Express?
The Habibi Express is Carpet Company's 1995 Honda Acty Street van — a fire-red Japanese microvan with devil horns on the roof and reflective windows that serves as a fixture of the brand's Baltimore universe. It is the direct design inspiration for this Salomon collaboration.
Is this Carpet Company's first sneaker collaboration?
It is their first non-skate shoe collaboration. Carpet Company have previously worked with Vans on the Old Skool 36 and Nike SB on the Dunk High, but this Salomon XT-Whisper Void is the first time they have moved into technical running footwear.
Discover more from Side Kicks
