Last year saw the sneaker industry revive 2000s-era mesh sneaker silhouettes, and after rocketing to the top of sneaker rotations globally, their dominance is still reigning supreme in 2024.
One brand in particular benefited most from this wave, and arguably led it: ASICS. The brand spurred its cultural reappraisal by using a tried-and-true method—collaborating with tastemakers.
While ASICS has a long history of working with tastemaker designers such as KITH’s Ronnie Fieg and Kiko Kostadinov, as well as brands like atmos, Slam Jam, and Awake NY—2023 was a breakout year that saw many of the brand’s collaborations become some of the most coveted sneakers on the market. Montreal design studio JJJound put their signature minimalistic twist on a pair of Gel Kayano 14s; long-time partner KITH teamed up with Marvel to use the Gel-Lyte 3 as a canvas to celebrate the X-Men; and Canadian skate brand DIME created their very own GT-2160—to name only a few.
In its search for international collaborators, ASICS also turned to Australian brands. In fact, the Lucky Country produced some of the most popular shoes of the year.
