August 2, 2019 |
Just as we thought we could give our mouths a break from drooling all over the incoming new-season goodies, there goes Kiko Kostadinov and drops a new pair of Asics. Ever since they started working together in late 2017, the Japanese sportswear giant and Kostadinov have been churning out some pretty impressive trainers. Spearheading the wave of global superbrands collaborating with emerging talent, the duo has a pretty unique take on exploring the space where the two worlds collide. The inspiration for them comes “mainly from Asics archives,” says Kostadinov, while “the seasonal collection dictates a huge part of the shapes, texture and colour.” The collaboration between these two is about testing the limits on both sides. It’s an evident exchange of knowledge, creativity and experience – and all that with impressive results as the finished products turn into some of the most-wanted trainers in the world. The next one in line is Gel Sokat Infinity II.
An update on last season’s Gel Sokat Infinity, the new version was originally seen in Kostadinov’s dark and moody AW19 catwalk show during London Fashion Week Men’s in January. Evolving his focus on activewear, the collection marked a big turn for the Bulgarian designer, being decidedly more about questioning the formality of men’s dressing. Shirting, suits, and coats took the lead, with a sporty trainer seamlessly fitting into the storyline. “I find them quite sharp and prefer to wear them with tailoring but I’m sure people will be wearing them everywhere,” Kostadinov tells us of this new shape. Individual elements forming the shoe have been taken from archival Asics pieces made for action.
The ascending upper and extended tongue, as well as the general silhouette were inspired by traditional baseball trainers, with the back heel detail taken directly from Dan Gable Ultimate, an old Asics wrestling shoe. Down at the bottom, the bouncy silicone bottom layer is a full 360 Gel midsole, exactly as seen on its predecessor. The Gel Sokat Infininity II comes in two colourways – a combo of dark espresso colours (coffee/ coffee) and a tech-y silver, navy and black one (carrier grey/ silver). Both reflect those classic mid-2000s shoe colour combos your mum would force you to buy because, well – they went with everything. The only difference is, we now actually want to be wearing them.
For the campaign of the Gel Sokat Infinity II, Kostadinov commissioned Japanese artist Moai to capture the spirit of the shoe in a fantastical world, a cartoonish version of his mysterious catwalk creatures of AW19. “I found his work on Instagram. He is a young illustrator who was making really interesting drawings previous releases of Asics in his spare time,” says the designer. “My only request was if Moai can incorporate some of the outfits from the show into his own characters. I haven’t really question further on as I think is important for people to make their own assumptions.” The end result is a cast of adorable yet flawlessly dressed characters from an anime cartoon we’d be happy to binge-watch anytime. Who are they? What are they doing? Where are they going? Our guess is they’re a gang of genderless cyborgs living in 2065 and working at the factory of one of the biggest fashion brands in the world, Kiko Kostadinov. Forget about Friends, we’d gladly watch 8 (or more) seasons of Keeping up with the Kostadinovs.
The Kiko Kostadinov x Asics Gel Sokat Infinity II will be available to shop online and selected stores from August 8th.
