Don ’t Forget About the ASICS GT-II’s 35th Anniversary
In what will likely go down as one of the sleeper milestones of 2021, it seems many people have forgotten that this year is the 35th anniversary of the . Many newer sneakerheads can probably be forgiven for not having encountered this model before, as the last time it was doing the rounds proper was circa the mid-2010s. After a little spike in interest back in the day via some colabs and , the GT-II returns to the footwear fold with reissues of its OG ‘Glacier Grey’ and ‘Monaco Blue’ colourways.
The GT-II predated the better-known GEL-Lyte series as one of the first ASICS models to use the company’s defining GEL technology, a feature that’s proudly called out on the midsole via the Alpha symbol and GEL text. Its overall design is relatively conventional compared to its contemporaries, making for an easy-wearing combination of nylon mesh inserts supported by microfibre overlays. Per the OG colourways, synthetic Tiger Stripe branding contrasts in purple-trimmed silver on the ‘Glacier Grey’ and red-trimmed blue for the ‘Monaco Blue’.
The ASICS GT-II is available now from Japan’s mita sneakers, but hopefully there will also be global stockists. And as mentioned, this is one of those underrated sneakers that definitely deserves to not be slept on.