To mark the 100th anniversary of its founding father, Kihachiro Onitsuka, ASICS has unveiled new limited-edition footwear and apparel.

ASICS was established by Onitsuka in 1949 with a clear goal, to help people move more and feel healthy in both mind and body. From product innovations based on human centric science to charitable partnerships, this philosophy continues to drive everything that the company does today.

Said Motoi Oyama, CEO of ASICS Corporation, “Onitsuka built ASICS because he wanted to help people develop a healthy and active lifestyle and ultimately, be happier.” 

The new products have been created to reflect Onitsuka’s positive personality and pioneering spirit, along with the traditional ASICS comfort and design. 

The footwear comprises of fresh sunflower themed designs that feature striking reds, oranges and yellows, and these have been inspired by Onitsuka’s love of artist Vincent Van Gogh and his desire to help people to face their own bright futures in the same way that a sunflower reaches for the sun.

Said Oyama, “Much like sunflowers, Onitsuka always headed towards the light and this was reflected in his personality and management style.”

The products are as follows:

• ASICS Gel-Quantum™ 360 KO 100

Featuring 360 degrees of ASICS GEL® technology cushioning, this shoe is available for both males and females and balances high performance and comfort.

The heel design is inspired by ‘himawari’ or ‘sunflower’ in Japanese and the rubber sole and knit upper comes in shades of yellow and orange, to mimic the range of tones in a sunflower.

This shoe is available from SGD 259.

• ASICS Tiger Gel-Mai™ KO 100

A unisex shoe, this features a unique asymmetrical eyelet stay which tightens around both the forefoot and ankle of the shoe. The volume of the midsole also emphasises the fuzeGEL technology and superior cushioning, a key feature.

The multi-coloured upper also features sunflower inspired patterns splashed along the mesh and suede overlays.

This shoe is available from SGD 189.

• ASICS Onitsuka Tiger CorsAir™ KO 100

Also a unisex model, this features increased cushioning, arch cookies, full length midsole, thicker heel and E.V.A midsole material to make the shoe as comfortable as possible.

Like the other models, the upper design features a splayed sunflower print while maintaining the silhouettes of the original Tiger CorsAir sneaker.

This is selling for SGD 169.

For all of the three models of 100th Anniversary shoes, there are only 1,918 pairs available globally.

In Singapore, the three types of shoes are all available at the ASICS Stores located in Plaza Singapura and VivoCity.

In addition to the shoes, ASICS has also released a limited edition KO 100 apparel, which is a unique set of their SS Tee and Jersey Pant. Both are made from recycled materials and without the use of fabric to reflect ASICS’ commitment to sustainability as well as representing Onitsuka’s founding vision.

The apparel, which features the trio of ASICS logos – ASICS, ASICS TIGER and Onitsuka Tiger, as well as an embroidered gold sunflower in order to stay true to the sunflower theme which represents Onitsuka, is available from SGD 189 and you can get it from either the ASICS Store at Plaza Singapura or the Onitsuka Tiger store at Suntec City.

All of the above products will be made available at the respective stores from May 29 onwards.

As well, to ensure Onitsuka’s legacy of inspiring future generations, ASICS will also partner with Right To Play, an organisation that uses sport and play to improve the lives of children affected by conflict, disease and poverty and who are in deprived countries around the world. Right To Play uses sport to engage children in programmes that focus on making positive impacts in their quality of education, health and well-being and the programmes are led by 70,000 trained local teachers and volunteer coaches.

$10 from every 100th anniversary shoe or clothing sold, will go towards sponsoring one child in Lebanon to play sport for ten weeks. 

Said Oyama, “These limited edition products and the partnership with Right To Play are our way of celebrating his vision and passion on what would have been his 100th birthday.” 

He continued, “We also want to remind people that as modern life gets busier, Kihachiro Onitsuka’s desire to create sound minds and bodies has never been more important, both for individuals and society as a whole.”

And as well, to engage their fans worldwide, ASICS also have partnered with GIPFY, which is the first and largest GIF platform in the world, and will create a series of ASICS Stand With The Sun GIPFY stickers for people to use in their daily social conversations such as Facebook posts and Instagram Stories.

These stickers are now available and you can search for #StandWithTheSun on social media, in order to find them for your usage.