How to upgrade your sneaker game
In a conceptual pop-up in fashionable Le Marais, during Paris Fashion Week, Asics launches the sneakerhead’s dream
By Isabel Lerma
Images by Stephane Sby Balmy and the author


Cecilie Bahnsen is a Danish designer who focuses primarily on womenswear. Her designs very clearly allude to the very definition of feminine luxury. Creatively, she tends to draw inspiration from like-minded individuals and typically takes from what she witnesses firsthand in the studio. For this collection, she worked hand-in-hand with photographer Takashi Homma. Set in Tokyo at twilight, the two colorways of this release feature muted monotones, bringing to life the noir feeling of the atmosphere after dark. Putting a sporty twist on the dainty Mary Jane shoe, the Asics SportStyle GT-2160 x Cecile Bahnsen allows its wearer to dress with the utmost versatility. This pair in whichever color goes for around ₱14,290.

A growing brand whose roots lie in Montreal, Canada, Dime has quickly found its place in the fashion scene by incorporating skateboarding into clothing in a “playful and humor-filled graphic-design language.” As seen in the pop-up, the wavy floor pays homage to the brand’s identity, recalling the slopes in skate spots. The Asics SportStyle GT-2160 x Dime goes for €160 or around ₱9,690. Already on their third partnership with Asics, HAL Studios presents the GEL-1130 MK III “Glacier,” which, like the previous installments, draws inspiration from natural elements. From the sandy texture of snow to the mountain-like topography of ice formations, the concept of this pair, as its name suggests, takes heavily from the glacier. As a brand whose creative capacity extends through aspects of time, place, music, art, technology, and the natural world, HAL Studios showcases this inspiration not just through the shoe’s design, but also through the pop-up display of the sneaker suspended in a freezer. The Asics SportStyle GEL-1130 x HAL Studios goes for roughly ₱9,990.

Airei is a Los Angeles-based brand that has collaborated with Asics on the same GT-2160 sneaker, adding an artistic twist that makes heads tilt not in confusion but in awe. Its take on the sneaker has the shoes covered almost entirely in plaster, urging the wearer to embark on his journey to break through, as the plaster comes off slowly with use. Each pair was crafted with great attention to detail and with the intention of making it impossible to duplicate. Furthermore, every purchase of the Asics GT-2160 Crafts for Mind by Airei will add up to a good cause, as Asics SportsStyle and Airei will dedicate proceeds from the sales of this collaboration to the Right To Play organization. The pair goes for around €180, about ₱10,900.
*Check out [www.asics.com.ph](http://www.asics.com.ph) and follow @asicsph & @asics\_sportstyle\_ph on Instagram for updates.
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