Close your eyes and picture the most popular shoe of the moment, and you’ll likely make a mental sketch of a flat sole with a simple leather upper. Sleek, slim, and steeped in 90s design nostalgia. Far freakier footwear may be floating around, but this silhouette has never been hotter.

But popularity can be a double-edged sword, because that hotness has brought a fair bit of sole-level saturation. When every shoemaker offers a variation on this kind of sneaker, there’s only one solid way to stand out: create a pair so special that only 50 pairs of feet will ever wear them.

If exclusivity is a rare currency, Asics’ newest collaboration with Japanese menswear label Soshiotsuki on a refreshed Skyhand OG may as well be priceless. (Though luckily it's not, with a retail price of around $244, or ¥38,500.) 

Here, designer Soshi Otsuki has pulled Asics' 90s handball OG into the present, with artisan-level craft befitting his luxe touch. Specifically, it adds an oversized Chromexcel leather tongue, sourced from Chicago's legendary Horween tannery and custom-shaped by artisans in Tokyo's Asakusa district, AKA the city’s old town, where Japanese craftsmen still do serious fabric-altering magic. 

This type of leather is infused with oils and waxes, giving it a subtly shifting sheen as it bends or stretches. Add a small logo charm — usually seen on Soshiotsuki’s clothes, attached to an eyelet — for two simple, tasteful additions that separate the shoe from the flat-shoe pack. 

For those already keen on the 2025 LVMH Prize winner, this elevated attention to detail won’t be groundbreaking. But by teaming up with one of the industry's biggest sneaker brands, Soshiotsuki is on the cusp of breaking ground with a whole new wave.

Highsnobiety has affiliate marketing partnerships, which means we may receive a commission from your purchase. Want to shop the products our editors actually love? Visit our SHOPPER page and subscribe to the newsletter for recs on all things fashion, footwear, and beauty.