ASICS Has Released Special Collaboration Models of the GT-2160™ and the GEL-1130™
ASICS SportStyle, an active lifestyle-inspired line by Japanese sportswear brand ASICS, has released the new GT-2160™ inspired by the GT-2000™ series. To celebrate this launch, the brand held a pop-up event with the theme of "Nothing Feels Better Than Moving with ASICS," during Paris Fashion Week in June. The event invited four collaborators from brands such as Cecilie Bahnsen, Dime, and AIREI, as well as the creative studio HAL STUDIOS®, to create models of the GT-2160™ and GEL-1130™. Hypebeast interviewed the four collaborators to commemorate the release of this special project, revealing the concept behind each collaborative model.Cecilie BahnsenFirst up is designer Cecilie Bahnsen, founder of the Copenhagen, Denmark-based brand, Cecilie Bahnsen. Her modern items combine sculptural silhouettes and couture techniques, expressing femininity through a unique approach.Hypebeast: Tell us about the first time you heard about ASICS and why you decided to collaborate with them.Cecilie Bahnsen: For us, comfort is the most important aspect of dressing, and I have always worn dresses with flat shoes, so I wanted to collaborate with a trainer brand. Cecilie Bahnsen and ASICS share common values in terms of both sustainability and a healthy body and mind. ASICS is the perfect partner for us. So we were very excited when we decided to collaborate. Once we started meeting, the conversation went very smoothly.Do you think that your values are also relevant to the city of Copenhagen, where you are from? Bahnsen: In Copenhagen today, casual fashion has taken root. I think people wear clothes for themselves and always look for “comfort” whether they are running, cycling, or walking around town. The locals wear ASICS items very casually. A girl can wear a dress and trainers and be comfortable for the day.In terms of comfort, what are your thoughts on how we can keep our bodies healthy?Bahnsen: I think ASICS is really linked to us. For me, creating is like therapy and it's like my home and my creative space. I think that by linking creativity with shoes, techniques, and everything we focus on, we can find comfort in all aspects.Now tell us about the collaboration model. What was the background behind the creation of multiple color patterns (black and white)?Bahnsen: When we routinely create some items, we start with white and then black to visualize the details. So this time, we dared to use monochrome to express that process. By doing so, we highlight the layers, mesh, and structure of the GT-2160™.Is there any difference between your usual collections and collaborations?Bahnsen: We always work on our collections in a short period of time. However, the production of sneakers is a very long process, so we spent a lot of time on it. As a result, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the ASICS brand, which was a valuable experience.Tell us about the visuals shot in Tokyo that were unveiled at the pop-up event.Bahnsen: In the visuals, we incorporated trainers into the dress formal style because we always want people to wear dresses more comfortably in their everyday lives. So, of course, sneakers are appropriate for such occasions, not heels. We are happy that the visuals expressed our thoughts on this.Will you continue to collaborate with ASICS?Bahnsen: I see this collaboration as just the beginning of a great project. I am sure we will be able to do something more with Cecilie Bahnsen and ASICS in the future, so you can look forward to that as well. I am sure you will all love it. Thank you very much.The visuals for the pop-up event were shot on the streets of Tokyo with Serina Mottola as the model. The installation in which the visuals were displayed was in a gallery-like format, with large-format photographs framed and arranged, expressing the quality, skill, and passion that went into the collaboration.DimeNext, Vincent Tsang and Phil Lavoie, co-owners and head of creative at “Dime,” which was started by a group of local skaters in Montreal, Canada, answered our questions. Dime is a skateboarding brand that crosses over into the world of fashion with the diverse backgrounds of its members and continues to transmit a one-of-a-kind view of the world. The new collaboration between Dime and GT-2160™ was a modern update of the "Y2K"-inspired silhouette and a "from the ground up" themed space was unveiled at the pop-up event.Can you tell us about your first impressions of ASICS?Vincent Tsang: I have known ASICS since I was young. I have always had the impression that they make very high-quality sneakers, which we now know is very true. Also, Djokovic and other tennis players who we’re crazy about have been wearing them, so we are becoming more and more interested in ASICS. So we wanted to do something together at some point. And that's how we got to today.What was the background behind the creation of GT-2160™ x Dime?Tsang: We love the vibes of 2000’s fashion, art, and skate culture, which have long been a part of the Di
ASICS SportStyle, an active lifestyle-inspired line by Japanese sportswear brand ASICS, has released the new GT-2160™ inspired by the GT-2000™ series. To celebrate this launch, the brand held a pop-up event with the theme of "Nothing Feels Better Than Moving with ASICS," during Paris Fashion Week in June. The event invited four collaborators from brands such as Cecilie Bahnsen, Dime, and AIREI, as well as the creative studio HAL STUDIOS®, to create models of the GT-2160™ and GEL-1130™. Hypebeast interviewed the four collaborators to commemorate the release of this special project, revealing the concept behind each collaborative model.
First up is designer Cecilie Bahnsen, founder of the Copenhagen, Denmark-based brand, Cecilie Bahnsen. Her modern items combine sculptural silhouettes and couture techniques, expressing femininity through a unique approach.
Hypebeast: Tell us about the first time you heard about ASICS and why you decided to collaborate with them.
Cecilie Bahnsen: For us, comfort is the most important aspect of dressing, and I have always worn dresses with flat shoes, so I wanted to collaborate with a trainer brand. Cecilie Bahnsen and ASICS share common values in terms of both sustainability and a healthy body and mind. ASICS is the perfect partner for us. So we were very excited when we decided to collaborate. Once we started meeting, the conversation went very smoothly.
Do you think that your values are also relevant to the city of Copenhagen, where you are from?
Bahnsen: In Copenhagen today, casual fashion has taken root. I think people wear clothes for themselves and always look for “comfort” whether they are running, cycling, or walking around town. The locals wear ASICS items very casually. A girl can wear a dress and trainers and be comfortable for the day.
In terms of comfort, what are your thoughts on how we can keep our bodies healthy?
Bahnsen: I think ASICS is really linked to us. For me, creating is like therapy and it's like my home and my creative space. I think that by linking creativity with shoes, techniques, and everything we focus on, we can find comfort in all aspects.
Now tell us about the collaboration model. What was the background behind the creation of multiple color patterns (black and white)?
Bahnsen: When we routinely create some items, we start with white and then black to visualize the details. So this time, we dared to use monochrome to express that process. By doing so, we highlight the layers, mesh, and structure of the GT-2160™.
Is there any difference between your usual collections and collaborations?
Bahnsen: We always work on our collections in a short period of time. However, the production of sneakers is a very long process, so we spent a lot of time on it. As a result, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of the ASICS brand, which was a valuable experience.
Tell us about the visuals shot in Tokyo that were unveiled at the pop-up event.
Bahnsen: In the visuals, we incorporated trainers into the dress formal style because we always want people to wear dresses more comfortably in their everyday lives. So, of course, sneakers are appropriate for such occasions, not heels. We are happy that the visuals expressed our thoughts on this.
Will you continue to collaborate with ASICS?
Bahnsen: I see this collaboration as just the beginning of a great project. I am sure we will be able to do something more with Cecilie Bahnsen and ASICS in the future, so you can look forward to that as well. I am sure you will all love it. Thank you very much.
The visuals for the pop-up event were shot on the streets of Tokyo with Serina Mottola as the model. The installation in which the visuals were displayed was in a gallery-like format, with large-format photographs framed and arranged, expressing the quality, skill, and passion that went into the collaboration.
Next, Vincent Tsang and Phil Lavoie, co-owners and head of creative at “Dime,” which was started by a group of local skaters in Montreal, Canada, answered our questions. Dime is a skateboarding brand that crosses over into the world of fashion with the diverse backgrounds of its members and continues to transmit a one-of-a-kind view of the world. The new collaboration between Dime and GT-2160™ was a modern update of the "Y2K"-inspired silhouette and a "from the ground up" themed space was unveiled at the pop-up event.
Can you tell us about your first impressions of ASICS?
Vincent Tsang: I have known ASICS since I was young. I have always had the impression that they make very high-quality sneakers, which we now know is very true. Also, Djokovic and other tennis players who we’re crazy about have been wearing them, so we are becoming more and more interested in ASICS. So we wanted to do something together at some point. And that's how we got to today.
What was the background behind the creation of GT-2160™ x Dime?
Tsang: We love the vibes of 2000’s fashion, art, and skate culture, which have long been a part of the Dime brand. So for the GT-2160™ x Dime, we tried to update the 2000s with the current mood, and the result was a great match.
Please also explain to us about the color.
Tsang: We wanted many people to wear them, so we kept the coloring simple. However, we adjusted the colors to create a gradation of color, trying to make them not so basic.
What did you think of this collaboration?
Lavoie: First of all, I want to say thank you for the collaboration. It was a valuable experience for me to go from coming up with the idea for the shoes to the actual product, so I'm really happy about that. We always throw curve balls, and I'm grateful to the ASICS team for being willing to hit them back. It was fun. I would like to do more things with ASICS.
The GT-2160™ x Dime, which fully expresses the characteristics of the brand, was first shown at a pop-up event held during Paris Fashion Week, just like the other collaboration models. The exhibition space featured a wavy floor, paying homage to skate spots and expressing the uniqueness of the waves.
We also interviewed John Bouquet, the co-founder and creative director of HAL STUDIOS®, an Australia-based company that has collaborated with a variety of domestic and international brands. HAL STUDIOS® develops items that incorporate elements of nature, technology, and culture, with a focus on work and sportswear. The parent company, Highs And Lows, is a select shop that carries a wide range of carefully selected items as well as originals. In December 2021, after the launch of HAL STUDIOS®'s first collection, “SEASON 01,” the brand launched its first collaboration with ASICS, the GEL-1130™ MK I “Earth.” Following the success of this project, the second collaboration, GEL-1130™ MK II “Forest” was pre-released at a pop-up in Nakameguro, Tokyo in April of this year. The third collaboration model,
based on the GEL-1130™, is a design reminiscent of a “Glacier.” At the Paris pop-up event, the sneakers were displayed in a freezer tied with red ropes.
Do you have any memories of ASICS?
John Bouquet: The earliest memories I have of ASICS are from my days at Athletics as a kid. I remember my brother and I both having pairs of ASICS track spikes. My pair was black, red, and gold...at the time I definitely thought I could run faster with them on.
Can you explain why you chose to partner with ASICS for this collaboration?
Bouquet: They say good things come in threes...with the excitement around our MK I and MK II collaborations on the GEL-1130™, it felt necessary to close this chapter out with a third installment. It has been a pleasure working on this trilogy project and we are proud to have contributed to the global success of the GEL-1130™. We’re ready to switch it up now and I look forward to presenting new ideas on a fresh silhouette in the near future!
How was the GEL-1130™ MK III "Glacier" designed?
Bouquet: Following the approach of the previous releases, the MK III iteration again embraces the theme of drawing inspiration from the natural world. Taking its cues from the rugged and captivating landscapes found in glaciers worldwide. From the unforgiving terrains and majestic mountain ranges to the contrasting elements of black sand beaches, snow, ice, and serene water valleys, these environments serve as the inspiration for the MK III design. Recently, we had the opportunity to travel to Iceland and photograph the campaign in the exact environments and landscapes that inspired the palette and theme of the shoe. It was a surreal experience to close out our trilogy project.
To be a topical collaboration, Fashionistas and Parisian sneakerheads who came to the event picked up the actual products, and the HAL STUDIOS® booth attracted a lot of attention.
The last is AIREI, an up-and-coming brand launched in Los Angeles in 2021. AIREI is an innovative concept in which items are handcrafted by artisans and each item is numbered so that it cannot be copied. Hypebeast interviewed Drew Curry, the founder of AIREI, about the collaborative model, GT-2160™ Crafts for Mind by AIREI.
Hypebeast: How did the collaboration come about?
Drew Curry: We collaborated with ASICS once for the Fall/Winter 2023 season. At that time, the ASICS team liked our experimental idea of "plaster coating," and we agreed to collaborate again.
What images did you have in mind when designing the GT-2160™?
Curry: The saffron color (yellow line) used in the original GT-2160™ is a color that is important to our brand. The saffron color is often used in India and Southeast Asia, where I spent a lot of time in my childhood, and it symbolizes fire and purity there.
So you expressed that “fire” and “purity” in that sneakers?
Curry: That's right. That is why we kept the saffron color of the base model and poured the plaster along the sophisticated mesh part. Also, when I first saw the GT-2160™ sneaker, it seemed to me that it was already a finished product, so I kept in mind how to further emphasize that "perfection" in the design.
What were your honest impressions when you saw the completed GT-2160™ Crafts for Mind by AIREI?
Curry: In our daily collections, we are always conscious of how to give a vintage feel to modern products, and we were happy to be able to express this in the GT-2160™ Crafts for Mind by AIREI. We were also able to realize that AIREI and ASICS are similar as brands.
What aspects are similar?
Curry: AIREI is a fashion brand, so of course, our main focus is on clothes, but we want to bring a new perspective to the world by conveying the brand's story through its clothes and giving the wearer a chance to break through. ASICS is also originally a brand for sports, but it pushes not only athletes but also many people to the next stage and gives them a chance to push themselves to the next level. In that sense, I felt that our brands are similar, and the five-letter brand names are also similar.
The GT-2160™ Crafts for Mind by AIREI, created as part of ASICS' "Craft for Mind" series focusing on craftsmanship, was prepared as a completely limited-edition, one-of-a-kind product by artisans, like the AIREI items. The limited edition 50 pairs were sold and a portion of the proceeds were donated to "RIGHT TO PLAY," a charity that supports underprivileged children around the world through sports and play programs.
The HAL STUDIOS® collaborative model will be globally released on August 25th, while other styles launched last month. Stay tuned on ASICS SportStyle official Instagram account for updates.
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