ASICS Gel Lyte III Made In Japan (Vegetable Tanned Leather)

UPDATE: It's been a while since we first saw these back in February, and finally the debut Made in Japan Gel Lyte III will be releasing in ultra limited numbers on the 8th of August. Using natural 'Nume' vegetable tanned leather, the upper is constructed with the upmost attention to detail, completed with supple calfskin lining and waxed laces holding it all down. While premium takes on classic silhouettes have been an increasing trend over the last few years, they are usually tackled by luxury designers paying 'homage' to the original designs.

Outside of the gawdy premium Jordan Brand retros that tend to be too heavy-handed in justifying their big tickets (gold detailing, stingray embossed uppers, etc), this is the first time we've seen one of the big sportswear companies push ahead with their own high end version of an archive shoe, and hats off to ASICS Tiger for executing this flawlessly. While the $500USD price tag might scare some of our readers, we don't think ASICS Tiger will have any problem selling out of the 255 pair run. Will you be copping come August 8th?

We got a super early sneak peak at this upcoming while over in Japan and we just couldn't wait any longer to share it with you guys! This Gel Lyte III will be the first one made in Japan, and trust us when we say that the vegetable tanned leather is the most amazing upper we've ever seen on a retro trainer! We'll give you guys more info as we reach closer to the release date.

- Originally Published February 6th, 2015