On the off chance that you hadn't realized, Kiko Kostadinov stays busy. Between heading up his namesake brand, keeping the sneaker industry on its toes with his tireless work at ASICS Sportsyle, and giving workwear a new pulse with AFFIX, the designer has amassed quite the arsenal. At Paris Fashion Week, Kiko Kostadinov's SS23 collection reminded us why we're so fascinated by its footwear offering.
There's no denying Kiko's abilities as an apparel and accessory designer – his collections always come complete with plenty of pieces worthy of desire, especially if you're heavy on your workwear. Technical pants and outerwear are of particular interest within the designer's mainline, which is just as carefully considered within AFFIX, too.
The category that continues to be deserving attention-grabbing season-to-season is undoubtedly footwear. Since 2018, Kiko's collections have served as a staging ground for collaborations with ASICS – collaborations that have continued to be so successful that the Bulgarian designer landed a multi-year partnership with the sportswear company in 2020.
Since then, he's (almost) single-handedly put ASICS toe-to-toe with the industry's biggest players. Personally, I can't get enough of the ASICS Sportsyle styles birthed from the partnership – you get archival ASICS DNA with some of the strongest, most striking color palettes you'll find at any sneaker brand.
If the Kiko Kostandinov SS23 runway is anything to go by, there's plenty more to come from the pair's collaborative releases, too. Spotted in two colorways, their upcoming release looks to sport a GEL-Kayano 14 sole, paired with a low-profile upper that features a honeycomb-like texture.
Showcased in a yellow-green hue and a deep blue, the silhouette looks void of any branding cues, although is undoubtedly packed with ASICS tech.
Also seen on the feet of the show's models is a layered, block-colored style that appears as both a low-top and boot, both of which feature a heavily-detailed chunky sole and industrial-inspired shape. It's safe to assume this is probably an in-house design, as it bears resemblance to some previous season styles.
Although there'll be a while to wait for these styles to land, we can expect plenty more footwear to come from Kiko, both in-house and alongside ASICS. I, for one, can't wait.
