ASICS Celebrates Kihachiro Onitsuka's 100th Anniversary With Limited Edition Anniversary Pack

Dynelle Skinner | Tuesday, May 29, 2018 | 0 comments

As a child I had my own little garden in front of our house. There was only one thing growing in that garden - Sunflowers. I always thought of sunflowers as an earthly version of the sun, so it always made me happy and filled me with joy. I kept that garden going until we moved (by then my sunflowers were growing to twice my height) and I was happy to leave my garden full of sunshine for the next home owners. To this day, sunflowers remain my absolute favorite flowers, so when ASICS introduced us to their Limited Edition 100th Anniversary pack inspired by the artwork of Founder Kihachiro Onitsuka, that little girl inside me who cherished her sunflower garden was in complete heaven. It seems Mr. Kihachiro Onitsuka and I had the love of sunflowers in common, and he painted them quite often. It is those paintings on sunflowers that graces that packaging and sneakers of three of the brand's classic styles, the GEL-QUANTUM 360 KO100, ASICSTIGER GEL-MAI KO100, and ONITSUKA TIGER CORSAIR KO100 to celebrate what would have been Mr. Onitsuka's 100th birthday.


The new collection includes products from each brand under the ASICS umbrella - ASICS, ASICSTIGER and Onitsuka Tiger, and have been specially curated to reflect Mr. Onitsuka's bright personality and pioneering spirit. Along with ASICS' trademark comfort and design, the sunflower pattern features striking reds, oranges and yellows which are inspired by Mr. Onitsuka's love of artist Vincent van Gogh. The bold colors represent his desire to encourage people to take control of their bright futures in the same way a sunflower reaches for the sun. To ensure Onitsuka's legacy of inspiring future generation continues, ASICS has partnered with Right to Play – an organization that uses sport and exercise to improve the lives of children in deprived communities around the world. $10 from the sale of every KO100 shoe or clothing purchase will go towards sponsoring one child in Lebanon to play sports for 10 weeks.

ASICS GEL-QUANTUM 360 KO100


Constructed with 360 degrees of ASICS GEL technology cushioning, the GEL-QUANTUM 360 KO100 available for both male and females balances high performance and comfort. The heel design is inspired by 'himawari', or 'sunflower' in Japanese. The rubber sole and knit upper are shades of yellow and orange – designed to mimic the range of tones in a sunflower. Available for $170.00.

ASICSTIGER GEL-MAI KO100


The unisex ASICSTIGER GEL-MAI KO100 offers a unique asymmetrical eyelet stay which tightens around both the forefoot and ankle of the shoe. The volume of the midsole emphasizes the fuzeGEL technology and superior cushioning, a key feature of the GEL-MAI. The multi-colored upper includes subtle sunflower inspired patterns splashed along the mesh and suede overlays. Available for $140.00.

ONITSUKA TIGER CORSAIR KO100


The unisex TIGER CORSAIR KO100 features increased cushioning, arch cookies, full-length midsole, thicker heel and E.V.A. midsole material for added comfort. A new upper design features a splayed sunflower print while maintaining the same silhouette of the original TIGER CORSAIR sneaker. Available $120.00. To represent the year Onitsuka was born, 1918 limited edition pairs of each shoe will be available globally.

All products will be available in-store and on www.asics.com today, May 29, 2018.

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