The Best of ASICS 2023

Acting as a tastemaker in this current sneakersphere era has been ASICS. Throughout 2023, their technical runners experienced booming trade growth, while the trend-driven continued to obsess over their runner retros from the 2010s. Their cultural cache is at an all-time high, and the past twelve months have seen the brand dabble in ultra-hype collaborations and craft epic GR editions.

It’s time to round out the best of ASICS over 2023.

Collaborations Galore

Spearheading ASICS’ 2023 has been their megalithic collaborative output, with both long-time and new partners coming on board. The silhouette taking the cake this year as the best collaborative canvas is the GT-2160. Freshly revived in 2023, Dime, Above the Clouds and GALLERY DEPT. all put their spin on the new runner-turned-lifestyle model. High-end fashion was also on the mind of ASICS, with Needles reworking the EX98 and Kiko Kostadinov debuting the Zientzia and retouching the Flexkee with his Otto 958 label. Coming out on top with the best collaborative concept is the three-way collaboration between Kith, ASICS and Marvel. From the mind of Ronnie Fieg, the trio crafted a massive X-Men collection that was released through blind boxes, meaning it was a lucky dip situation if you copped. Completing the pack were PSA-graded reprinted trading cards from ‘Uncanny X-Men Series 1’.

For the Girlies

While there’s still a long way to go with women’s inclusivity in the sneaker space, there’s been steps in the right direction this year. On the collaborative front, ASICS have been a force to be reckoned with among the female audience – predominately led by the Cecilie Bahnsen link up. The Copenhagen-based designer reinterpreted the GT-2160, and ASICS continued her style on their latest lifestyle silhouette by turning it into a Mary-Jane style sneaker that is imbued with Bahnsen’s feminine energy. Another big collaborative release for ASICS was the elusive Shushu Tong bow-adorned GEL-MC. This pair played perfectly into the ‘Croquettecore’ TikTok trend. There weren't only collaborations that were crafted for the ladies though, as plenty of general release combos appeared too!

NOVALIS

Since 2018, Kiko Kostadinov’s relationship with ASICS has been an emotional rollercoaster for sneakerheads. Whenever we think it’s about to end, a new chapter to their partnership begins, with the Bulgarian designer continuing to entrench himself in the sneaker brand. Following the stint of consulting, in-house work and a few collaborations along the way, Kostadinov and ASICS announced their plans to launch a sub-brand dubbed NOVALIS. With a heavy focus on functional everyday wear, NOVALIS debuted their collection during Paris Fashion Week. The first drop also hosted a brand new model dubbed the GEL-TEREMOA, which has quickly become a favourite.

GR Daily Drivers

For a lot of sneakerheads, ASICS’ biggest pull is their offering of general release sneakers for every day. In 2023, the Japanese brand continued this reliable reputation, especially with their Kayano 14 silhouette. Arguably one of the favourite variations in the Kayano lineage, this model rose back into prominence over the past few years as a lifestyle model. Collaborations with Kith set the scene for the low-key releases that exuded a 2010 vibe. A close follow-up was the GEL-Quantum Kinetic, which was also dubbed one of the best GRs of 2023. Coming correct with Kiko-esque vibes, the Kinetic was quickly snapped up by those who wanted to look fashionable on a budget. ASICS’ GT-2160 was reintroduced to the sneakersphere in 2023, and after a few linkups, was thrust into an epic array of GR colourways, which included the sought-after ‘Kale’.

Peep more best-of-2023 content, here!