Story mfg. and ASICS Send the GEL-TRANSCEND FJ Rambling in Hiking-Blanket Check
Name: Story mfg. x ASICS GEL-TRANSCEND FJColorway: Dark Brown, BlackSKU: 1203B194-200, 1203B194-001MSRP: $180 USDRelease Date: November 11 (Story mfg.), November 20 (ASICS)Where to Buy: Story mfg., ASICSStory mfg. and ASICS are back together with the GEL-TRANSCEND FJ, a collaborative sneaker built around the idea of rambling. The UK craft label and the Japanese sportswear giant read the word three ways: wandering with no set endpoint, talking past the point of necessity, and growing somewhere you didn’t plan to. That spirit of curiosity-led movement shapes everything here, from the archival hiking base to a campaign cast of makers and movers photographed on their own turf.The foundation is pure archive. The GEL-TRANSCEND FJ traces back to ASICS’ 1990s catalog of hiking and walking footwear, and the collaborators lean into that outdoor DNA rather than smoothing it over. Rugged synthetic leather overlays wrap the upper, framing panels of Story mfg.’s signature check, a pattern drawn from the woolen blankets that once came standard on old-school hikes. The result splits into two colorways: a black and grey pairing with a cooler, technical read, and a rich brown version that feels closer to forest floor than city pavement.Flip the shoe over and the performance story sharpens. The jagged outsole borrows directly from the GEL-FujiTrabuco 7 trail shoe, bringing a lug pattern tuned for traction, durability and lightweight cushioning onto a lifestyle-leaning silhouette. Story mfg. founder Saeed Al-Rubeyi is clearly sold on it. “The sole is incredible: an aggressive but lightweight tread. It’s so supple and grippy that the blacksmith we photographed reckons he can sharpen 20% faster in them, and asked to keep a pair for work,” he said in the release announcement.That blacksmith is one of several characters anchoring the campaign, which nods to ASICS’ Japanese roots while extending both brands’ habit of spotlighting real people and their obsessions. A forager, dancers, farmers and cyclists round out the cast, each offering a personal take on rambling through motion, handiwork or time spent close to the land. Every subject was shot in their own setting, keeping the focus on people who chase what they love without asking permission.The concept also gets a physical home. Alongside the shoe, the two brands are launching the RAMBLING CLUB, a tongue-in-cheek society for wanderers, talkers and anyone charting an unconventional route. The club opens at Story mfg.’s London studio on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, before a New York chapter lands at Blue In Green on Tuesday, November 10. Entry requires an application form plus a hand-drawn self-portrait, and accepted members walk away with a club badge and first access to the GEL-TRANSCEND FJ ahead of its wider rollout.Set your reminders and get ahead of what’s dropping next on Hypebeast Drops.Click here to view full gallery at Hypebeast
Name: Story mfg. x ASICS GEL-TRANSCEND FJ
Colorway: Dark Brown, Black
SKU: 1203B194-200, 1203B194-001
MSRP: $180 USD
Release Date: November 11 (Story mfg.), November 20 (ASICS)
Where to Buy: Story mfg., ASICS
Story mfg. and ASICS are back together with the GEL-TRANSCEND FJ, a collaborative sneaker built around the idea of rambling. The UK craft label and the Japanese sportswear giant read the word three ways: wandering with no set endpoint, talking past the point of necessity, and growing somewhere you didn’t plan to. That spirit of curiosity-led movement shapes everything here, from the archival hiking base to a campaign cast of makers and movers photographed on their own turf.
The foundation is pure archive. The GEL-TRANSCEND FJ traces back to ASICS’ 1990s catalog of hiking and walking footwear, and the collaborators lean into that outdoor DNA rather than smoothing it over. Rugged synthetic leather overlays wrap the upper, framing panels of Story mfg.’s signature check, a pattern drawn from the woolen blankets that once came standard on old-school hikes. The result splits into two colorways: a black and grey pairing with a cooler, technical read, and a rich brown version that feels closer to forest floor than city pavement.
Flip the shoe over and the performance story sharpens. The jagged outsole borrows directly from the GEL-FujiTrabuco 7 trail shoe, bringing a lug pattern tuned for traction, durability and lightweight cushioning onto a lifestyle-leaning silhouette. Story mfg. founder Saeed Al-Rubeyi is clearly sold on it. “The sole is incredible: an aggressive but lightweight tread. It’s so supple and grippy that the blacksmith we photographed reckons he can sharpen 20% faster in them, and asked to keep a pair for work,” he said in the release announcement.
That blacksmith is one of several characters anchoring the campaign, which nods to ASICS’ Japanese roots while extending both brands’ habit of spotlighting real people and their obsessions. A forager, dancers, farmers and cyclists round out the cast, each offering a personal take on rambling through motion, handiwork or time spent close to the land. Every subject was shot in their own setting, keeping the focus on people who chase what they love without asking permission.
The concept also gets a physical home. Alongside the shoe, the two brands are launching the RAMBLING CLUB, a tongue-in-cheek society for wanderers, talkers and anyone charting an unconventional route. The club opens at Story mfg.’s London studio on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, before a New York chapter lands at Blue In Green on Tuesday, November 10. Entry requires an application form plus a hand-drawn self-portrait, and accepted members walk away with a club badge and first access to the GEL-TRANSCEND FJ ahead of its wider rollout.
Set your reminders and get ahead of what’s dropping next on Hypebeast Drops.
