ASICS Neotide™ Is The Natural Next Step
We already know ASICS and HAGEL make a great design duo, so when they team up, expectations are high. Partially constructed from recycled materials and inspired by nature, the new NEOTIDE™ might sound like a lot to live up to... but that’s exactly what ASICS and HAGEL have pulled off.
Arlette Schreurs, Senior Footwear Design Manager at ASICS, puts it simply: “The NEOTIDE™ is the result of hundreds of experiments. It’s about using our own waste to create something new.” Creating this took trial, error, and a whole lot of innovation—and trust, turning ground-up materials into a shoe that feels as good as it looks is not easy. “We were pushing the boundaries,” Arlette says, “but it’s proof that it can be done.”
So how exactly did they bring this vision to life? It all starts with the materials. The NEOTIDE™ is crafted from old recycled ASICS shoes, collected from across Europe and processed by Fast Feet Grinded, a Netherlands-based recycling group. These old, defective, or unsold shoes are ground up, separated, and reused in the NEOTIDE™’s production. Thirty-nine percent of the NEOTIDE™ is crafted using recycled materials, which are then assembled in Portugal—as a result, you get a sneaker that’s not just a symbol of design, keeps circularity front of mind.
Led by Mathieu Hagelaars, founder of Amsterdam-based HAGEL, who's also the male cast in the campaign film, the process didn’t start with a mood board full of buzzwords, but with the question of what happens when you take something familiar and gently mess with it. “Like a landscape reshaped by heavy snow, the NEOTIDE™ wraps a familiar icon in a soft cocoon,” Hagelaars says. Instead of amplifying the GEL-NYC’s sharper lines, he smoothed them out rounding, simplifying, and reshaping the silhouette the way nature would over time.
ASICS philosophy (and, fun fact, also its acronym) is simple: Anima Sana in Corpore Sano: a sound mind in a sound body. So what better way to celebrate that idea than by creating a sneaker that’s not just designed for movement, but for a movement toward a more sustainable future?
With localized production, reused materials, and a design that’s been carefully crafted to reflect the beauty of nature, the NEOTIDE™ proves that true innovation comes from a willingness to experiment, play, and continuously improve. Find out more about the next steps here.
