ASICS SportStyle reimagines the GEL-KAYANO™ 14 model as a lifestyle sneaker, which was first released in 2008 as a running shoe. The ASICS GEL-KAYANO™ 14 model represented a special moment within the brands history in 2008, as the first silhouette in the series to be designed by Toshikazu Kayano. Instead of Kayano, Hidenori Yamashita stepped in to design the ASICS SportStyle GEL-KAYANO™ 14 model.
Yamashita explains how the design language was focused around the idea of ‘Flash’ – “The word I chose as inspiration for the GEL-KAYANO 14 is the idea of “Flash”, “Flash” for me references the burst of action where the runner lands at the heel and pushes away at the toes. Whether it’s the colour, the lines, the materials, the silhouette or the texture – all aspects of the GEL-KAYANO™ 14 are designed with that idea of “flash” in mind.”
The re-introduced model sports the same nostalgic, 2000’s aesthetic that paved the way for the collection on its initial release 12 years ago. The midsole tooling with GEL™ technology cushioning is mirrored to the re-imagined model, keeping the original model’s performance capabilities for the wearers. At the same time, material and fit improvements are made on the upper, while retaining its layered synthetic leather and mesh construction from 2008.
To start off the re-introduction of the ASICS SportStyle GEL-KAYANO™ 14, the “UB1-S GEL- KAYANO 14” releases on the 27th of November. This is the first model which sees the Kiko Kostadinov team working in tandem with ASICS designers, advising and curating on select styles within ASICS SportStyle.
Other GEL-KAYANO 14 models will be released on the 18th of December at ASICS and selected retailers.
