It had been a long time coming, but Sneakerwolf (@sneakerwolf) lived up to his name this week, blessing us with his first official ASICS sneaker:
GEL-Kayano Trainer ‘Anarchy In The Edo Period’
The striking collaboration embraces one of the most overlooked – and, yet, most comfortable and influential – models in the ASICS retro line-up to deliver a perfect union of style and storytelling.
For this fiery collab, Sneakerwolf stayed true to both his Japanese roots and signature punk aesthetic in the most unexpected of ways, conjuring a sneaker that, as its name suggests, is historically anarchic. During Japan’s Edo period, which lasted from 1603 to 1868, all but society’s most elite were forbidden from luxury, which even included wearing particular colours like red, purple and gold. Giving the middle finger to the repressive Tokugawa shogunate that reigned during this period, Sneakerwolf’s Kayano is coloured up in all three of these forbidden pigments, which contrast beautifully against a crisp black and white base.
As if to further solidify this release as one of the hottest ASICS drops of 2019, Sneakerwolf has gone the extra mile and decorated the underlays with flame graphics, making this the perfect complement to his earlier work on the fireman-inspired ‘Hikeshi Hanten’ GEL-Lyte III, released by Kicks Lab. Clear TPU cages have been incorporated to allow the flames to truly burn out of control.
Aesthetics aside, the GEL-Kayano Trainer is still an amazingly comfortable sneaker that is too often overlooked. There’s a reason the GEL-Kayano line has long been praised by the running community and, if you don’t know why by now, then it’s time to lace up a pair and find out.
The ASICS GEL-Kayano Trainer x Sneakerwolf ‘Anarchy In The Edo Period’ is one of those rare sneakers that don’t need a backstory to truly stand out, but have an amazing one all the same. This is a fantastic debut from Sneakerwolf and we hope it leads to many more in the future. This is sure to be one of the best ASICS collabs of the year, which is why it’s our pick for sneaker of the week. Whatever you do, don’t let this one pass you by!
Select sizes of the ASICS GEL-Kayano Trainer x Sneakerwolf ‘Anarchy In The Edo Period’ are still available, so head down to your local Foot District or shop in our ASICS TIGER store to add a pair to your collection before its too late!