If you actually had your eye on the Takahiro Miyashita and ASICS Chelsea sneaker-boots that released in2022, you’re in luck. The sneaker label is releasing it insane Chelsea boot-sneaker, so you can have the wildest pair of Chelsea “boots” out there.
Miyashita is the founder of his eponymous TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist brand and has a really deep-seated thing for all things rock and roll, hence the focus on turning the traditional Chelsea boot into a sneaker.
Chelsea boots are already the standard if you’re looking for a put-together silhouette and something that you can walk around in all day (or go wild onstage in 1960s London) so giving it a sneaker sole only makes it all the more wearable.
As for how it makes it look, well, your call.
It is definitely an eye-catching look even though at first glance, Miyashita's ASICS boot kinda does look just like any old leather boot.
But it’s all in the sole for the “GEL-QUANTUM 360 VII," as ASICS' Chelsea boot is called, which has the same sole tech as the traditional GEL-QUANTUM sneaker: ASICS' Scutoid GEL in the midsole and FF Blast cushioning in the heel for shock absorption.
So it’s comfortable for sure, even though it is, dare we say…a little ugly? Maybe "innovative" is a more polite descriptor.
Or is that the point? Shiny, with the traditional elastic laterals and suede detail on the back, it’s the boot's sneaker sole that makes it look like you could walk on the moon with them, like a Chelsea boot from the future.
Then again, it can also be said that the sneaker sole actually makes the Chelsea boot a little sleeker than the traditional chunky boot, so it’s all relative for a boot-hounds.
Miyashita's original design was already reselling for around $300 on eBay, slightly inflated from the $230 or so retail price, so ASICS' general re-release at least brings the shoes' down to a standard $199, once they release come April 26 on ASICS' web store.
It might be the season for spring and summer sneaker shopping, but these are worth bookmarking for Fall 2024 looks, if you have the wardrobe for them.
