Source: COOHEM × ONITSUKA TIGER
I haven’t made it a secret that I’m gaining a bit of fatigue when it comes to knit shoes, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t here to stay. Performance knit tends to be constructed in a way where it doesn’t shift or move as easily as knit on lifestyle shoes. What tends to happen on a lifestyle shoe is the construction is so flimsy that your foot shifts inside of the shoe which leads to a multitude of problems for your legs and feet.
ASICS has aligned with COOHEM to drop a pack that absolutely nails the Knit sneaker trend. COOHEM’s knit isn’t just a flat machined knit upper. COOHEM has a technique that creates a textured layers look that adds depth to the shoe. The use of Nippon Leather caps off what is an excellent collab on the retro inspired Fabre Nippon Hi and Lo basketball shoes. As a comparison when Nike has utilized Flyknit on its Air Force 1 (a retro basketball shoe) they have typically replaced the entire upper. The same with adidas and their Primeknit Stan Smiths. The uppers get loose forcing you to tie the shoes up tighter and tighter as the shoe wears. ASICS has offset this with the traditional shape being reinforced with the original leather at the toebox, heel counter, and up the eyelets which creates a more structured feel. The shoe is also leather lined on the interior. You can use the source link to check out the COOHEM x ASICS collab.