Following the first collaboration on five limited model sneakers, ASICS and Vivienne Westwood have once again teamed up to launch the ASICS x VIVIENNE WESTWOOD GEL-KAYANO™ 26 sneakers. Available in black and white, this minimal collection debuted at the Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood Fall/Winter 2020 runway show in Paris this season and set for global release on the September 28.
The mix of design and advanced technology is at the core of this collaboration as is durability and functionality. The new ASICS X VIVIENNE WESTWOOD GEL-KAYANO™ 26 model is inspired by the original sack shoes first shown in the Westwood & (Malcolm) McLaren Autumn/Winter 1982- 83 Nostalgia of Mud collection – featuring the Buffalo Girls. The collection fused Westwood’s fascination with historical clothes – drawing inspiration from early civilisation. The original sack shoes were inspired by a primitive footwear design featuring one piece of leather that wraps around the foot. The design has been given a futuristic and utilitarian evolution – using a semi-transparent mesh cover which simultaneously conceals and reveals the shoes underneath.
As a wearer of ASICS’s performance sports designs, Andreas Kronthaler, creative director of Vivienne Westwood, selected the latest GEL-KAYANO™ 26 as the base style for this year’s collaboration. The precision-adjusted professional performance soles are retained, including full-length FLYTEFOAM™ Propel midsole combined with rear foot GEL™ technology and FLYTEFOAM™ wedge, GUIDANCE TRUSSTIC™ system, forefoot twist GEL™ technology, and the I.G.S™ (Impact Guidance System) composed of DYNAMIC DUOMAX™ support system. The original double-layer engineering mesh upper is replaced by a complete piece of Ripstop anti-tear nylon, and the lace system is also simplified to an elastic webbing structure for easier wear. The pull and draw mesh covering the upper, while paying tribute to Westwood’s iconic sack shoes, highlights the ASICS logo with mesh and straps delivering a sense of modern technology. Westwood’s signature Orb Saturn logo is embedded in the METACLUTCH™ external heel counter, a finishing touch in combination with heel reflective shields at rear.
The limited-edition ASICS X VIVIENNE WESTWOOD GEL-KAYANO™ 26 is available in two minimalist colourways – black on black and white on birch, and are available on at asics.com for the price of RM879, from September 28 onwards.
Read also: ASICS to Launch a Performance Face Cover for Runners
