The Best of ASICS in 2024

In 2024, ASICS have cemented their place as a big dog in the lifestyle market, flexing their muscles with top-tier colabs from JJJJound, Kiko Kostadinov and Kith. They've also remained a heavy hitter in the performance sector too, but that's not surprising as GEL has remained the apple of runner's eyes for yonks.

Unlike their cohort, ASICS haven't gone gargantuan on their marketing strategy, instead relying on their products to speak for themselves. They’ve had a quietly successful year, sitting across the pond from their challengers and silently plotting their next banger collaboration, clean general release and mega event. ASICS have continued to bolster their collaborative roster with tons of new collaborators, while also keeping many big names that are guaranteed to produce bangers. The numbers speak for themselves too, with the brand's net sales up by 17.3 per cent in Q3.

ASICS did their thing once again in 2024, here’s what went down.

King of the Colab

It's difficult to stand out in this era of sneaker collaborations but that hasn’t been an issue for ASICS! In 2024, the Japanese brand bolstered their list of link-ups while also continuing their most successful ventures. The ongoing partnership with Ronnie Fieg and his Kith imprint continued, celebrating their new Seoul flagship with an exclusive GEL-LYTE III, reworking the GEL-KAYANO 12 and, of course, creating the mega Marvel ‘Super Villains' pack. Another continuation was with AU retailers Above the Clouds who came through with more GT-2160s, and HAL STUDIOS followed it up with the Velcro KAYANO 20. Another two heavy hitters who looked to the recently resurrected GEL-KAYANO 20 were Bodega and Nigo’s KENZO. There were plenty of other collaborative highlights including both Hidden NY’s and Needles’ GEL-NYCs and JJJJound and Papergirl both reworking the GT-2160.

Fashionable Femmes

The sneakersphere is becoming increasingly more inclusive, especially for the girls who’re copping kicks at the same rate as everyone else. It’s good to see that shoe dogs the world over are leaning more into inclusive size-runs and more women’s-sized sneaks that aren’t just pink. The Japanese brand has been at the forefront of the feminine sneaker revolution, enlisting Cecilie Bahnsen to be one of their designers alongside others like Chopova Lowena. Bahnsen, the Copenhagen designer, has made her ASICS colab a priority in 2024 and has come through with a handful of hot fire releases that have sent fans rioting. Following a hot run last year, Bahnsen and ASICS looked to the GEL-TERRAIN for a multi-pack of floral, hyper-feminine builds that cemented her place as the top female-geared ASICS collaborator. In second place was Chopova Lowena, who quickly built up a glowing rep in the world of fashion, linking on multiple GEL-QUANTUM 360 8s via ASICS’ Crafts for Mind program. Lowena’s work was then exclusively available via Dover Street Market. These collaborations have fetched a sizeable audience of fashion-savvy femmes, which in turn has led to ASICS entering the chat for many across the globe outside of the female fashion elite.

All About that Performance

ASICS have always had performance as their main focus and have continued their need for innovation and expert craftsmanship in 2024. For the Olympics, they remained in the spotlight throughout, with the Japanese brand acting as the main sponsor for the Australian and Japanese Olympic teams. Liz Akama, skate extraordinaire, won a silver medal in the women’s street skateboarding and was even blessed with her own custom celebratory pair. In the running space, ASICS is considered a cult favourite and remained a top contender. The Novablast 4 was a fan-favourite for runners, closely followed by their daily driver GEL-Nimbus 26.

Keep On Kiko’n On

Kiko Kostadinov has been the jewel in the ASICS crown for a number of years and has been credited as playing a key part in the brand’s ever-increasing popularity among fashion enthusiasts. Kostadinov has also moved in-house at ASICS, with his team consulting on new designs and colour palettes alongside crafting collaborative releases. He continued with his NOVALIS subline this year, which saw the Bulgarian designer work on models like the eye-catching GEL-Styrax and a handful of more GEL-TEREMOAs – their flagship silhouette. For their other in-line work, the Kostadinov team has been responsible for bringing back the KAYANO 20 and keeping up with the GT-2160's hot run. They’ve also engaged in plenty of co-branded colabs, kicking off 2024 with a three-way GEL-LOKROS with Heaven by Marc Jacobs. Kiko continued the run with another ZIENTZIA, followed by the most recent GEL-FLAMMAE. This dynamite partnership doesn’t seem to be over just yet, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they’ll have on the cards next year.

Poppin Up and Poppin’ Off in Paris

At Paris Fashion Week this year, ASICS were out in force and debuted a plethora of upcoming heater colabs. Hosting an event for Friends and Family, the Japanese brand filled 7 Rue Froissart with an array of their top-tier collaborators and latest creations, plus a select few newer models in fresh GRs. Melbourne-based UP THERE were the first to debut their outdoor-geared GEL-TERRAIN, followed by Cecilie Bahnsen, who showed off her GEL-QUANTUM 360 8. Japanese architect Kengo Kuma was also out, looking to the Archisite ORU model for his work. Another major highlight of the pop-up comes from Japanese brand Doublet and their GEL-KAYANO 20 collaboration, which is still yet to release. The GEL-NIMBUS 10.1s debuted at the pop-up, alongside GR GEL-QUANTUM 360 8s and GT-2160s.

Maestros of the General Release

One of ASICS’ greatest strengths is their general release catalogue for lifestyle wear, and in 2024, it’s never been better. Classics like the KAYANO line have remained at the top, and they’ve put some extra focus into their decades-long line. The favourite by far is the KAYANO 14, which has remained on regular rotation for many ASICS heads for the past few years. The KAYANO 20 is a recent resurrection that has quickly become a favourite for newer enthusiasts and long-time fans alike. New silhouettes that have become instant classics are the Nimbus 10.1 and Kayano 12.1, which both boast Frankenstein-esque builds. Finally, the GT-2160 and GEL-NYC remained favourites for GR heads, and we can’t go past the mega introduction to the eighth version of the QUANTUM 360.

This year is coming to an end, so peep the biggest rumoured releases of 2025 here and look back on 2024 right here!