Just want to buy a pair of The History of Asics right now? The History of Asics.
Walk along any street in a big city and you’ll see the pervasive influence of the Japanese culture everywhere. But one product is used by a wide range of people, from the ordinary to the famous, and most don’t even realize what they’re wearing is Japanese. That’s how much Asics has invaded the everyday world.
An acronym for anima sana in corpore sane, which is Latin for “a healthy mind in a healthy body,” Asics aims to inspire people to move and become more active. This kind of aspiration is all the more important today! Known for comfort and performance, the gender-specific footwear is built for the push and the punishment.
Founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka as Onitsuka Co. Ltd. in Kobe, Japan in 1949, the Mexico 66 sneakers with eye-catching and distinctive crossed stripes sold quickly and became known worldwide as Onitsuka Tigers, or Tiger Sneakers. After merging with Onitsuka’s sister companies GTO and Jelenk in 1977, Asics was born. Currently producing football, running, tennis, squash,
martial arts, cricket, golf, wrestling, track & field, cross-training, volleyball, cheerleading, lacrosse, and their latest tabi-style (divided toe) shoes developed for weightless training for astronauts, as well as other sports shoes, Asics is making good on its motto to get people moving. Asics is now known for its running and marathon shoes, consistently winning as “Shoe of the Year” for Runner’s World for the Gel-Kayano in 2008 and 2009 for its development and perfection of the gel-sole cushioning system and has been won the International Editor’s Choice for four years in the five years since the awards had started. Another shoe model was rated top of the nine shoes that were reviewed in the November/December 2009 Tennis Magazine issue.
US President Barack Obama throwing the opening pitch of the World Series in his Asics Sneakers
People that value health and personal well-being seem to gravitate towards Asics. Pushing its brand image through sponsored marathons, runs, health and fitness expos, and workouts, Asics gathers its feedback the old-fashioned way: through face-to-face meetings with the people that use their footwear. The Tokyo Marathon, which started in 2007, is primarily sponsored by the company.
Uma Thurman's cult sneakers
But its worldwide cult status was ensured after the hit movie “Kill Bill,” when Uma Thurman wore the distinctive yellow and black martial arts shoes in the famous swordfight scene. After ingeniously selling 3400 pairs worldwide, they created an interest in the fashion market. Suddenly, celebrities like Jessica Biel, Megan Fox, Chris Weitz, Emma Watson, Amanda Peet, Anna Paquin, Emmet Cullen in the latest hit Twilight movie, and even US President Barack Obama, have been seen sporting the footwear.
Women are now the hottest target of the Asics brand.With more females becoming more active on the health and fitness front, their concerns are now at the forefront of company design. They have recently launched a line of footwear designed by an all-women’s team and inspired by the original Asics gymnastics shoes, the collection is taking the line’s slogan, “For Women, By Women” to an unprecedented level. Known as the Plaisance and the Chatelet, they hope to provide inspiration to countless females by asking the question, “Where do you want to go?” in the interior of the left shoe with real life answers from women around the world on the lining of the right.
The corporation’s position in the sporting goods world is so strong that it even managed to hold its economic position and even thrive during the ‘economic tsunami’ that hit Japan. Because of Chairman Kiyomi Wada’s and President Motoi Oyama’sdecision to stick to its core sports business, Asics is now exploring a greater share of the global golf market and expanding its stores to other countries around the world with a 20% increase in global sales of US$2.5B in the first quarter of 2009.
The main bullet in Asics’ arsenal is the Research Institute of Sports Science (Kobe) that was opened in 1990. The 45,000-square foot facility boasts an all-weather running track, basketball and volleyball courts, and test rooms. Athletes are invited to the institute to create specially-made shoes and also do research on their requirements, thus gaining the corporation valuable insights that sparks their innovative designs for 7 different types of runners – stable runners, those with normal pronation, over-pronation, under-pronation, excessive pronation, trail runners, and serious racers. As a result, Asics customers use a “Foot ID” system that has lasers and cameras to scan the foot in 3D. Along with additional data on gait analysis done on a special treadmill, salespeople can accurately determine the best footwear based on their foot and running style.
The Asics' 60th Anniversary "Toy Shoe"
For its 60th year anniversary, Asics decided to celebrate its Japanese roots and present its Fabre74 Onitsuka model as a 1.5 meter sculpture of Japanese pop culture icons making up a giant shoe. Done as a collaborated work between StrawberryFrog, artist Gary Baseman, and photographer Marcel Christ, the sculpture will be reproduced in print, be used online, and be seen in London, Paris, Berlin, Barcelona, and Zurich.
And for aficionados of the classics, the Mexico 66 Tiger sneakers are still being sold as the Onitsuka Tiger brand worldwide in stores of the same name.
ASICS products can be purchased online at www.asics.com and are available at many specialty retailers, sporting goods and chain stores throughout the world.
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