A Weatherproof ASICS Behemoth Is Born Anew
There’s a lot more to ASICS than its signature range of sporty dad shoes. And the GEL-YETI TOKYO HI GTX sneaker-boot can attest to that.
The Japanese sportswear label's spin on a rough-and-ready military boot is a bulky suede design with metal lace hooks, a waterproof GORE-TEX lining, and a grippy, deep-ridged sole unit.
Compared to the running shoes that populate ASICS’ most popular product offerings, this boot stood out like a sore thumb when it debuted in collaboration with nonnative four years ago.
And, although ASICS has expanded its selection of leather boot hybrids since then, the GEL-YETI TOKYO HI GTX is still wildly different from what ASICS is best-known for.
Something of an ASICS deep cut, the rugged GEL-YETI boot is poised to make a full-scale resurgence in 2025.
ASICS kicked off the year by reviving the shoe in a new brown colorway together with Japanese label nonnative, the original GEL-YETI collaborator and a brand long aware of the power of tall beige boots (and boot-style sneakers).
Then, it followed that with a muted beige and black in-line colorway that released in late January. Now, releasing on February 10, a black GORE-TEX version with contrast white stitching epitomizes the new approach to ASICS' throwback waterproof classic.
And these aren’t the only boots that the company has in the works: Envisioned together with regular collaborator Kiko Kostadinov, there are tabi-fied ASICS boots also in the pipeline for late this year.
Compare the GEL-YET GORE-TEX boots to the brand’s underrated workwear shoes or sneaker-fied slippers and you realize there’s a whole world of niche ASICS footwear that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.
Perhaps the quiet GEL-YETI revival is the first sign of major ASICS shifts to come.
