Onitsuka Tiger の最新のスニーカーからアパレルまで一挙に掲載された  2012 SPRING & SUMMER 「Style Book」をアップをしました。 今季の春夏コレクションはロンドンオリンピックをテーマにしたラインも一部掲載されております。

The collaboration between hanon x ASICS has been nominated for “Sneaker of the Year” by Kingsize. Check it out above.

Spring – summer 2013 will see the merge of current ASICS Lifestyle brands ASICS SportStyle & Onitsuka Tiger, into one sole brand; Onitsuka Tiger.

ASICS SportStyle and Onitsuka Tiger trainers have always carried the instantly recognisable “Tiger Stripe” design, which has caused confusion in the marketplace and mixed brand indentity. The decision to merge the two lifestyle brands is to alleviate this confusion and create stronger recognition of the Onitsuka Tiger brand in the minds of consumers. It will also strengthen Onitsuka Tiger’s position as a global ‘sports-inspired – fashion’, brand; moulding the Japanese heritage of Onitsuka Tiger with the innovations of ASICS SportStyle.

The ‘new’ Onitsuka Tiger brand will be at the forefront of fashion and design, with the latest product innovations, details and intricate finishes. This means that the ASICS footwear portfolio will now consist of two brand names, ASICS (performance) and Onitsuka Tiger (lifestyle). Each will be positioned almost entirely separately, to strengthen individual brand indentity, in line with the fact each brand should cater for a completely different consumer need.

To date, ASICS SportStyle has represented a passage in the Onitsuka Tiger – ASICS family history, providing a collection of retro, sports-inspired trainers that bridge the gap between performance and fashionable footwear. Styles have always been inspired by back catalogues, mixing a reintroduction of direct remakes with contemporary new styles, resulting in fashion footwear based on the designs of professional and recreational athletes. Technological developments of ‘yesterday’ became, and have remained, a classic design influence of the SportsStyle brand – including some of the most important advances in footwear technology, such as the ground breaking GEL cushioning which is now in its 25th successful year.

Onitsuka Tiger has remained the more fashion forward footwear collection from ASICS, boasting incredible Japanese craftsmanship, unique designs and varied colourways & finishes. The history of Onitsuka Tiger began with the establishment of Onitsuka Co, Ltd. in 1949, the forerunner to the modern day ASICS brand. Based on Mr. Onitsuka’s philosophy of bringing up a sound youth through sports, the company has maintained the tradition of specialising in the manufacture of sports shoes using original ideas and applying epoch-making techniques.

In 2013, Onitsuka Tiger will fuse direct remakes of its back catalogue along with additions from the ASICS SportStyle brand to create a fresh representation of the modern metropolitan Japan, reflecting the innovative & original spirit of the combined brands. The Onitsuka Tiger brand will continue to tell the stories of its unique Japanese heritage and eastern and western influences, to produce fashion forward trainer styles that showcase expert craftsmanship and unique design techniques. Comfort is never sacrificed for style as a result. This philosophy is at the core of every new season’s designs and will remain a focus for Onitsuka Tiger at this next stage for the brand, which will continue to develop its core collection & premium footwear styles, as well as apparel.

All journeys, have to begin with a few, humble first steps. While its products may have reached iconic status worldwide, Onitsuka Tiger began with one man and a unique vision.

In the summer of 2011, Mutaurwa Mapondera took his first trip to Onitsuka Tiger’s hometown of Kobe, Japan in order to understand that vision; to discover where it came from and understand how it could influence the future. Digging to the roots of the brand’s deep history, Mutaurwa interviewed five men reverentially referred to as “œThe Legends.”

Playing influential roles in the nascent days of the company, each Legend had a unique perspective on how the brand came to be, and working closely with Mr. Onitsuka himself, each one made indelible contributions to the legacy of Onitsuka Tiger.

In the first of three episodes, Mutaurwa talks to two legends about the influence that the city of Kobe had on the company’s character and ideals.

Reflecting on their experiences, each Legend shared their views on Mr. Onitsuka, his leadership, his philosophies, and how the next generation can carry on and extend his vision.

Stay tuned for episodes 2 and 3 coming in 2012.

onitsukatiger.com
mutaurwamapondera.com

Onitsuka Tiger released new styles at JUS, called Reality Studio and SAMD Hi. This was of course celebrated in style. See the photos!

A selection of images and retro ads from the beautiful heritage of the Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger. For the contemporary collection of sneakers, click here.

Photos from the release party of Sneakersnstuff collaboration with ASICS and their classic GT-II sneaker. William Hamilton, Leo Forsell and Filip Loeb spinned the records. Photos by: Sima Korenivski

Onitsuka Tiger, med rötter i 40-talets Japan, har genomfört ännu ett nyskapande samarbete med en originell designstudio. Nyligen har andra samarbeten med bl.a. Seventyfive, Koi Klub, McQueen, Tillmann Lauterbach och Wood Wood – för att nämna några – mynnat ut i mycket limiterade skomodeller med noga utvalda återförsäljare runtom i Europa och övriga världen.

Reality Studio är en tysk designstudio med bas i Berlin. Designern bakom studion är Svenja Specht som efter att ha arbetat i Paris, Peking och Tyskland, grundade Reality Studio i Berlin år 2005. Tack vare hennes välbevandrade bakgrund så genomsyras hennes designstil av multikulturella influenser och androgyn elegans. Reality Studios samarbete med Onitsuka Tiger och deras klassiska skomodell Fabre Light RS, från början en basketsko, har resulterat i en fashionabel design som kommer i två olika färger, GREY/NUDE och NUDE/RED.

- The first color way and material, the nude, comes from untreated, natural leather. I chose Red as inside color because it is a very important color in all cultures, standing for life, heart, love, blood, flesh and energy. When I designed these shoes I was very interested in North American Indians – their lives, art and culture. Another inspiration, which is connected to this, was the Japanese manga artist Hayao Miyazaki´s character Princess Mononoke. She’s a girl with a free mind who has a special relationship with nature, the animals she lives with and their spirits, säger Svenja Specht.

Som enda återförsäljare i Skandinavien kommer Reality Studio X Onitsuka Tiger återfinnas   på JUS i Stockholm. JUS butik ligger på Brunnsgatan 7 i centrala Stockholm och säljer väl utvalda varumärken som bl.a. Adam Kimmel, Comme des Garçons, Helmut Lang, Nakkna, Maison Martin Margiela, Marséll, Diana Orving och Dries Van Noten.

- Onitsuka Tiger är ett unikt och genuint varumärke med en mycket intressant historia. Vi tycker det är jättekul att vara den enda svenska återförsäljaren som har dessa skor och de känns som ett udda komplement till vårt ordinarie sortiment, säger Ulrika Nilsson, grundare av JUS.

Reality Studio X Onitsuka Tiger kommer lanseras hos JUS den 1:a februari och endast finnas i åtta par av varje färgmodell.

Onitsuka Tiger vår och sommarkollektion lanseras i Skandinavien under våren och kommer återfinnas i butiker som bl.a. Wood Wood, Sneakers n Stuff, Shoeline och NK.

För mer information, kontakta:

Emil Nylander
emil@ibeyostudio.se
(+46) 8-328801

The story of Onitsuka Tiger and ASICS.

Director: Tim Schierwater (Nordpol+ Hamburg)
Art Director: Sean Kirby (Nordpol+ Hamburg)
Producer: Florian Liertz (elemente-e Production)
Animation: André Junker, Chrisoffer Wolters (Nform)
Stopmotion: Kathrin Albers, Jim Lacy (Stoptrick)
Origami Artist: Sipho Mabona (Mabona Origami