Brand: ASICS
Model: GEL-109v2
Release Date: Available now
Price: £115 (approx. $137)
Buy: Online at ASICS
Editor's Notes: I'm going to go out on a limb here and say ASICS Sportstyle has my heart. Honestly, out of nowhere, it's become my go-to sneaker brand, filling up my grails wishlist and leaving me scoping out eBay and StockX to see when pairs of past Kiko Kostadinov collaborations touch down.
The last couple of pairs of kicks I added into rotation were both ASICS creations spawning from the Kiko design team's bubbling brains – the HS4-S GEL-Sonoma 15/50 GTX and UB3-S GEL-Nimbus 9.
Scanning through the brand's releases throughout the past 6 months, can you really blame me? I wouldn't you.
Anyway, if you're looking for something with a touch more subtly to add to your summer sneaker rotation, ASICS has presented a set of updated options that aren't quite as statement-making as the above pairs.
What you need is the GEL-1090 v2. Having been revived from the ASICS archive back in 2019 to huge success, the GEL-1090 returns with a series of updates that only further boost the sneaker's sleek design and superior comfort. Both clean and technical, the early 2000s aesthetic is upgraded with premium suede overlays, embossed logos, and TPU semi-translucent Tiger Stripes.
If there's one thing you should expect from contemporary ASICS releases (not that it ever missed the mark in the past, mind) is seriously slick colorways. A balanced design language has been applied to the re-edition of this classic, with three colorways –"Cream/Jade," "Frosted Rose," and "Glacier Grey" – each knocking it out of the park.
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