Elegantly Floral Technical Gear? It Can Only Be Cecilie Bahnsen
Adding floral whimsy to ASICS' most technical sneakers is Cecilie Bahnsen’s specialty. And currently, she’s perfecting her craft.
The sixth chapter of Bahnsen’s ongoing ASICS collaboration is a pair of GEL-KAYANO 20 sneakers. It includes everything we’ve seen from Cecilie Bahnsen and the Japanese sportswear giant before — sneakers turned Mary Janes, flowery couture-inspired detailing, technical fabrics — but offered through a new lens.
Inspired by a 2005 ASICS marathon tabi shoe, discovered during a visit to the ASICS archive in Kobe, Bahnsen incorporated the asymmetric lacing and hardware from those retro running shoes into this latest collaboration.
“This is a new take on the original ASICS Mary Jane we designed, but something more sculptural, with even more contrast,” says Cecilie Bahnsen in a statement. “I loved the asymmetrical lacing from the marathon tabi, and could immediately imagine it with our signature flower detailing used as lace locks.”
The collaboration is another hit of Bahnsen’s flower power combined with sporty utility, set to arrive on May 2 for a pre-launch on the Copenhagen-based luxury label’s website. After that, on May 16, the shoes arrive at select retailers, including the Highsnobiety Shop, for €220 (around $250).
Founded in 2015, following time working at Paris couture houses, Cecilie Bahnsen has always operated in the intersection between couture and ready-to-wear.
Delicately detailed gowns and sculptural silhouettes are central to the LVMH Prize finalist’s work. But increasingly, so is weatherproof outdoor gear.
This GEL-KAYANO 20 sneaker follows up on a protective shroud-covered ASICS technical sneaker released in February 2025 and arrives hot on the heels of a debut Cecilie Bahnsen x The North Face collaboration. In the latter collection, clothing crafted with best-in-class technical finishes arrived with yet more flowery sneakers, this time being chunky weatherproof boots with 3D floral appliqués.
And outdoorsy experimentation isn’t contained to collaborations, look to the brand’s ripstop quarter-zip Avi top or adjustable mock neck Arlo jacket, for instance, and there’s a strong function-oriented element to these floral four-figure-costing designs.
Cecilie Bahnsen, an ex-couturier, is experimenting with the art of high-tech functional gear in the only way she knows how: Elegantly, and with lots of flowers.
