ASICS has been producing quality athletic footwear for decades — since 1949, to be exact — and recent collabs have put the brand in the limelight, which has allowed it to garner some market share from industry leaders.
That said, Kobe-based shoe maker has stayed true to its roots as it makes its foray into Nike and adidas territory. Its efforts to broaden its reach with products such as the Kith x Marvel X-Men GEL-LYTE III and Kiko Kostadinov x Heaven modernized Mary Jane haven’t detracted from its ability to churn out more obtainable, day-to-day lifestyle sneakers like ASICS GEL-1130
A new “Shark Skin” colorway is expected to drop on January 1 with a budget-friendly price tag of $95. It might not get as much attention as the upcoming Kiko Kostadinov-designed ASICS NOVALIS, and it might not appeal to resellers in the same way that the GEL-Kiril models do, but these aren’t necessarily bad things. Instead, this sort of makes the GEL-1130 the Goldilocks of ASICS runners. A balanced blend of form and function that’s not too pricey and not too hyped.
