Asics SportStyle Asserts their Presence in Paris through Creativity and Sportswear Technology

For the second time around, we had the honor of joining the Asics Philippines team for the Asics SportStyle Paris Fashion Week pop-up 2024. The event, “Paris, Move Your Mind” that happened last June 20-22 at the 7 Rue Froissart in Le Marais in Paris had one mission in mind—to share Asics SportStyle’s continued dedication to bringing the Asics’ signature comfort-led and performance-driven ethos to their lifestyle products.

In the same creative manner as last year, the Asics SportStyle pop-up highlighted a selection of inspired collaborations from various designers and creative organizations. The collaborative pairs were housed and presented within designated spaces that evoke each of their unique stories.

Coming back for their celebrated partnership is Cecilie Bahnsen. Considered as having the strongest portfolio of Asics SportStyle collaborations by Hartcopy, Cecilie Bahnsen’s fourth creation is a recalibrated version of the Gel-Quantum 360 VIII. In true CB fashion, the upper is completely overhauled to inject their playfulness to the technically-serious shoe. It is another well-coordinated contrast that makes every Cecilie Bahnsen x Asics SportStyle shoe enchanting. The campaign featured Danish gymnast Frida Lund who captures the power and delicacy of the design. And as Cecilie Bahnsen believes, “this collaboration continues to exemplify how function and fashion can coexist beautifully.”

In the same room in the venue is the installation spotlighting the third collaboration of renowned Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The ‘Archisite ORU’ is initially inspired by the lifestyle of people coming in and out of construction sites—a footwear that is flexible enough to be worn in construction sites but also in more casual settings like an office or a hotel. More than the duality of the new model—made for harsh conditions but still useful for everyday events—it’s Kengo’s desire to transcend constraints of time that encapsulates the concept. In addition to the motivation of ‘Archisite ORU,’ another interesting idea is how the Asics SportStyle design team incorporated Kengo Kuma’s two beliefs: “to use a single material for a surface to unify the world view of his buildings,” and “to blur the boundary between the inside and outside of a building.” With all these elements in mind, the team chose to use ‘Dyneema’—a technical fiber with excellent impact and tear resistance—to create the multifaceted ‘Archisite ORU.’

Jumping off of his reputation of creating off-center fashion products and collections, it is quite a surprise that his first collaboration releases with Asics seemingly look regular from afar. However, upon a closer look, the two models—his versions of the Gel-Kayano 20 and Gel-Nimbus 10.1—actually offer playful and perceptive details through materiality. Only in Masayuki Ino’s mind can the idea of “out of the box,” be about the box. The Gel-Nimbus 10.1 design started with his desire to only use one material for the upper of the shoe, but the real brilliance is in the sublimation of the Asics shoebox on Tyvek—a synthetic material made from high-density polyethylene fibers—that was used for the shoe. While Tyvek is fairly durable it isn’t as weatherproof and impact-resistant, which makes the upper of the shoe more prone to material change through use and time. “As [the] sneakers are worn daily or exposed to the sun, they gradually change the material and texture [to] look like a real carton box. I really like the realistic feeling and the process of this change,” Masayuki Ino shared.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a full Doublet project without a bizarre output. His second shoe is a reimagined Asics Gel-Kayano 20 that experiments with smashed nubuck leather that arouse the sense of feeling through its rough exterior. Limited to just 20 pairs, the shoe is more of a prototype than an actual everyday pair as the powdered leather covering is not yet optimized for wear. However, it’s a testament to what Masayuki Ino can and intends to co-create with Asics SportStyle in this newly inaugurated partnership.