Inside the Materials of Merrell 1TRL’s Croc Pack
An interview with Merrell Color Designer Tobias Kammerer
As the Fall 2026 collections continue to unfold, one release that particularly caught our attention is Merrell 1TRL’s Croc Pack. Bringing together the Moab 2 Remix RPT and Jungle Trek Mule RPT, the pack immediately stands out through its approach to materials, textures and finishes.
Rather than simply applying a new colorway to familiar silhouettes, Merrell 1TRL uses material as a way to reinterpret two models rooted in the brand’s history. Reptile-like textures, premium leather and contrasting surfaces give both pairs a distinct identity while connecting them to the wider ideas behind the Fall 2026 collection.
To understand the project beyond the finished product, we spoke with Tobias Kammerer, Color Designer at Merrell, about the inspiration behind the season, the choice of silhouettes and, above all, the role materials played in shaping the Croc Pack.
Interview with Merrell Color Designer Tobias Kammerer Kolroy : Could you briefly introduce yourself and tell us about your role within Merrell 1TRL ?
Tobias K : My name is Tobias Kammerer. I’m a Color Designer at Merrell, primarily focused on lifestyle and 1TRL. I work on seasonal concepts, color palettes and materials, and also contribute to the design of our lifestyle product.
Kolroy : Merrell 1TRL’s Fall 2026 collection is gradually being unveiled, including the Croc Pack. Across the season, ideas such as “Coastal Currents” and “Return to Source”keep coming up. Could you tell us more about what these ideas mean and how they shaped the collection ? More broadly, where does a season like FW26 begin for the design team ?
Tobias K : We started developing the FW26 story about 18 months out, and pretty early on we came across these images of sugar kelp that really caught our attention. We loved this earthy, slightly golden, murky marine quality and the way kelp changes color and interacts with light.
From there, we found images of golden yellow crocodiles and how their color and texture changed as they age. It gradually became this bigger story around things you might find along the coast and how they’re transformed by time and their environment. That became Coastal Currents, really looking at those natural transitions from warm to cool, smooth to textured, wet to dry.
Return to Source speaks to that same idea of looking back to nature and natural processes as a starting point for design – its bigger than a seasonal theme, its our brand platform and 1TRL mindset. It’s what we have in mind when we do what we do.
We’ve decided to bring it to the fore a little more going forward because it's been such a strong internal way of thinking. It’s about getting back to the essence of things and reconnecting with the outside world - not as a fixed place, but as a source of inspiration, clarity and energy for creative people.
Kolroy : Focusing on the Croc Pack, you chose two silhouettes : the 1TRL Moab 2 Remix RPT and the 1TRL Jungle Trek Mule RPT. Why these two models specifically ? How do they relate to Merrell’s archive, and how did you approach reworking them for this pack ?
Tobias K : Both connect to really recognizable parts of Merrell’s DNA, but in different ways. The Moab 2 Remix takes the iconic Moab 2 tooling and reimagines it through a more progressive, asymmetrical upper. Because the lateral quarter and vamp are one solid piece, we approached the material and color blocking in a way that reinforced that sense of protection and structure.
Merrell Moab 2 (photo 1) Merrell Moab 2 Remix (photo 2)
The Jungle Trek Mule connects back to the Jungle franchise and that easy, slip on functionality that’s always been an integral part of Merrell. We approached the Trek Mule as the more relaxed expression of the Croc Pack, even sampling it in a fully dipped Sugar Kelp colorway. Together, they felt like a good balance of two iconic parts of the brand, reinterpreted through a more lifestyle focused lens.
The Jungle Slide Mule (photo 3)
Kolroy : Materials really stand out across the Croc Pack, and both models feel particularly premium in their execution. Could you tell us more about the material choices and how you developed the different textures and finishes across the pack ?
Tobias K : Material was a huge part of telling the story. Originally, we wanted a brush off croc leather that started grey and gradually revealed Sugar Kelp underneath as it wore, so the shoe would actually transform over time.
That material didn’t quite meet our standards, so we pivoted to Crocus, this really rich, oily pull up croc leather that still gave us that depth and variation. The Crocus leather has this oiled base, reptile emboss and hard wax finish that gives it a lot of depth.
As it moves and catches light, you get all these tonal shifts that reminded us of wet kelp and reptile skin. Across the collection, we played with those ideas in different ways, from tonal croc prints to tortoiseshell finishes. We wanted the reptile reference to be there without feeling too literal, and for everything to have this balance between rugged and refined.
Kolroy : Is there a detail, reference or part of the development process behind the Croc Pack that people are unlikely to notice just from seeing the finished shoes ?
Tobias K : Probably just how much pivoting happens behind the scenes. When you’re working with unique materials and finishes, especially leathers with high oil content, things don’t always behave the way you expect once you start sampling. The original brush off croc is a good example. It didn’t work out exactly how we wanted, but we were able to preserve that idea of transformation through the Crocus leather. A lot of footwear development is adapting along the way without losing the original idea or the quality you’re trying to achieve. Kolroy : Thank you so much for your time, Tobias. For those interested, Merrell 1TRL’s Croc Pack is available here : SHOP
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