Japanese sporting brand ASICS and END, Newcastle’s finest, have only worked together on a handful of occasions - which is a surprising total overhanging two names of such industry prowess. Two times over, END. took Shigeyuki Mitsui’s GEL Lyte III as a blank canvas; quite the formidable starting point for any alluring concept regardless of business experience and overall product knowledge.
Fortunately, COVID didn’t hinder production of a 30th Anniversary ‘Pearl’ release - their most recent collaboration commemorated 30 years of silhouette history with a colourway portraying gemstones traditionally delivered with tri-decade celebrations in mind.
Two years prior, Mitsui’s split-tongue masterpiece underwent transformation with a nod towards life’s spicier side - ASICS’ now iconic pigskin nubuck adopted a pale, seafoam shade of green that made GEL-enthusiasts salivate.
END went on to complete Japanese cuisine’s three-way tie-up, laying foundations for conceptual sashimi, wasabi and pink pickled ginger to be merged using peach accents across portions of outsole and heel-counter panels. Lateral Tiger-Stripe branding remained faithful to the herb’s common hiding place, offering grey shades in tribute to mountainous river beds and their idyllic wasabi growing conditions.
For a seed so notoriously difficult to grow, END went a long way in fabricating their chosen condiment with ease - making for one of ASICS’ best GEL-based launches since 2015’s 12-part, 25 year celebrations.
