ASICS might be the quintessential dad sneaker, but it goes hard when it comes to collabs. Case in point: partnering with young French label tareet to make some of the most wild sneakers to date.
tareet's ASICS aren’t even sneakers at all, actually. Though they use ASICS tech and materials, the latest collab from the emerging Afro-European clothing label helmed by Etienne Diop is technically a babouche, a style of Morrocan slipper and inspired by a moccasin that the designer saw while growing up in Marseilles.
But these aren’t just any slipper. With an ASICS mesh upper, tareet's mules are crafted with woven soles and upcycled canvas enclosures, making them as streetworthy as any old running shoe. But a little closer to the earth.
In addition to the soft-soled clogs, tareet’s ASICS collab also includes an all-black leather sneaker with zippers for laces, patchworked Japanese soccer jerseys, and a black and white shoulder bag with a massive leather strap.
It’s really all about the babouche, though.
Last April, tareet designed another style of slipper for retailer APOC also using ASICS uppers with the same artisanal touches.
They were made to order and even at $400 a pair, sold out. Expect Diop's latest ASICS collab to follow the same route, with only 20 pairs ever to be produced and sold at the designer's Paris showroom.
There’s a reason they're all hard to get.
tareet's first ASICS creation wasn’t actually an official ASICS partnership, for one, instead done as part of Diop’s work in an MA program at Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, literally the definition of “emerging” designer.
Each shoe was handmade, inherently limited. Like some of ASICS' other experimental partnerships, tareet's ASCIS footwear is similarly scarce due to the nature of manufacturing the upcycled designs.
If tareet's official ASICS remix, if you will, is just the beginning, it’s definitely worth staying tuned for what comes next.
