Architect Kengo Kuma and ASICS Assemble a Stunning Woven Metaride AMU
Inspired by a traditional Japanese bamboo crafting technique.
Renowned Japanese architect and lecturer Kengo Kuma has teamed with ASICS for an unexampled take on a new Metaride AMU silhouette. Known for his mastery of layer, space and unconventional fabrication, Kuma has brought his signature vivid-yet-delicate ethos to the forefront of his first-ever footwear collaboration, building an environmentally-friendly Metaride design that takes cues from a traditional Japanese bamboo craft technique.
Although Kuma’s Metaride AMU is a running shoe in name, it’s nothing short of an architectural masterpiece in style. The upper is constructed of a white performance knit, which is richly overlaid by a multitude of crisscrossing white synthetic strips. As with any good design, there’s a purpose to go along with the engineered look: the overlays are strategically placed to hold the foot steady, working in harmony with the base layer to ensure a comfortable and supportive fit. Everything is secured by a toggle lacing system, and the strips cleverly form an ASICS graphic on the midfoot.
The innovations don’t stop at the top either, as the tan midsole is made of an ecologically-conscious wood-derived textile, keeping in line with Kuma’s penchant for subversive textiles (like his famed Stone Roof house). This midsole provides lightweight cushioning and support, as well as a bold contrast to the rest of the shoe’s stark white palette. Finally, a clean white outsole effortlessly balances the complex upper.
Kuma’s sophisticated ASICS Metaride AMU will release exclusively in Japan via ASICS’ website plus select retail locations in Harajuku and Osaka on December 20 for ¥36,000 JPY (approximately $330 USD).
For more collaborative work from ASICS, check out their latest collection with famed co-conspirator Kiko Kostadinov, with a lookbook featuring photographer Juergen Teller.
