To Advance a Signature Style, ASICS Returned to Its Roots
For its newest shoe, ASICS mined its native Japan for inspiration. Leaning on the teachings of Rajio Taiso, the chrome-clad, futuristic GEL-KINETIC™ FLUENT is all about balance.
For the uninitiated, the aforementioned is a Japanese exercise technique, consisting of light morning stretches, arm swings, squats, and other gentle movements to ring in the day.
Both symbolically and in its nostalgic-yet-modern design, this ASICS sneaker sits at a Rajio Taiso-informed intersection of fluidity and function, mindfulness and modality.
It combines the better known features of ASICS' gel-cushioned fit, with avant-garde elements that not only look cool, but elevate the beloved dad shoe to new performance heights.
To promote this innovation in silhouette, ASICS conceived of a campaign to highlight an array of individual wearers' crack-of-dawn routines and personal fashions.
The taxi driver and the office clerk, afterschool chitchat and hangouts at the park — whatever, wherever, whenever, the GEL-KINETIC™ FLUENT adapts seamlessly, as an exemplary case of footwear that maximizes style and comfort.
ASICS stands for Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, as in "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body". It's eye-opening to see Japan's most renowned sneaker brand add that cultural context to its creations, even more so in the wake of fist-bite-worthy collaborations with the likes of A.P.C., Nanushka, and Kiko Kostadinov.
Lest we forget, the dad shoe was dad’s shoe for a reason. And spoiler: That reason wasn't just reliant on appearance. With ASICS having minted, mastered, and so often made-over the style, the GEL-KINETIC™ FLUENT introduces us to an evolved form, by taking to the roots of its iconic design's philosophy.
