Sneakerwolf x Asics GEL- Kayano

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sneakerwolf x ASICSTIGER GEL-KAYANO TRAINER “ANARCHY IN THE EDO PERIOD” – 2019.3.2 @hotelkoetokyo

A post shared by sneakerwolf (@sneakerwolf) on Feb 25, 2019 at 12:43am PST

Quick Take:

2019 is the 25th anniversary of the iconic ASICS Tiger GEL-Kayano, and the brand chose to celebrate by linking up with the legendary Sneakerwolf. This nostalgic shoe is dubbed “Anarchy in the Edo Period” due to the punk inspiration for the fiery purple and red design.

The shoes will launch in conjunction with a hotel event known as “Tokyo Daigakui”, which will run March 2-9 at the Hotel Koe, Shibuya-ku.

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sneakerwolf x ASICS TIGER GEL-KAYANO TRAINER "ANACHY IN THE EDO PERIOD" – ”江戸時代のパンク”をテーマに、＜1700年代の江戸時代にタイムスリップしたパンク＞というストーリーにて製作されました。 江戸時代、庶民が贅沢をすることを許されず、派手で光沢のある素材、または高貴な紫や赤、金などの色の着用禁止、素材も木綿のみに制限されるなどの幕府が発令した”奢侈禁止令”へ反発を表現しています。 その他、”火事と喧嘩は江戸の華”と呼ばれた火事をイメージしたファイヤーのグラフィックと、sneakerwolfのアートワーク"Kanji-Graphy"で表現された＜サークルA＞ASICS TIGER NY店のディスプレイにも使用されている＜ASICS＞と描かれたアートワークによって全面を装飾しています。 – It was made on the theme of "punk of the Edo period", a story called "punk that time slipped in the Edo period in the 1700s". In the Edo period, the ordinary people were not allowed to luxury, the shogunate issued by the shogunate such as gorgeous glossy material, prohibition of wearing colors such as noble purple and red, gold, material limited also to cotton " this is Representing repulsion to "luxury banning order". In addition, a fire graphic image of a fire called "fire and fight is the flower of Edo". Artwork of sneakerwolf ＜Circle A＞ expressed in the "Kanji-Graphy" series and ＜ASICS＞ "Kanji-Graphy" which is also used for display of ASICS TIGER NY stores are printed on the shoe tongue – 3/2 AM10時から、sneakerwolf Exhibition<東京さいこう計画>の会場 @hotelkoetokyo にて発売します。

A post shared by sneakerwolf (@sneakerwolf) on Feb 25, 2019 at 7:32pm PST

Design:

The project features a white, purple, and red color scheme with flame accents on the mesh underlays in a tribute to punk subcultures. White leather and translucent caging keep the focus on the flames, while still adhering to the original model’s aesthetic. Overall, they remind of the Supreme x Nike Zoom Streak Spectrum Plus that also featured a flame motif.

Analysis:

The shoe launches alongside a Sneakerwolf hotel event and exhibition titled “Tokyo Daigakui,” celebrating Japanese heritage, aesthetics and street culture, as well as a Hiroaki Shimono-designed capsule collection which
features an array of heritage Japanese graphics, from tigers to Kanji and artwork inspired by “Fights and Fires are the Flowers of Edo.”

ASICS has not seemed to capitalize on the ‘dad shoe’ and retro footwear movement, despite having an incredible vault of classic runner styles. Releasing a Japan-exclusive shoe sticks to this strategy, as the brand can generate more buzz with a wild design with extremely limited release amount, that should draw more people to ask what more it has to offer.

Release Date:

The “Anarchy in the Edo Period” ASICS GEL-Kayano x Sneakerwolf will release exclusively in Japan, March 2 – 9 at Hotel Koe, Shibuya-ku. No word on the price yet, although you can expect resale to be much higher.