ASICS

The name ASICS is an acronym for the Latin term "AnimaSana In Corpore Sano", which translates to:

"In a healthy body, a healthy mind". Even before the company changed its name, it produced shoes for several years under a different name.

How did the story of the ASICS brand begin?

Before the company was called ASICS, it was founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka in 1949 under the name ONITSUKA Co., Ltd. He didn't know much about making sports shoes, but his passion and perseverance helped him create the first basketball shoes. At that time, basketball shoes were considered the most difficult to manufacture among athletic shoes. Onitsuka thought that if he succeeded in making such shoes, he would be able to overcome all other obstacles. Prototypes of the shoes were repeatedly tested in the leading basketball powers of the time, until the first model was released in the spring of 1950.

During a dinner with friends, while eating a salad with octopus, he noticed the suction cups that are typical for these creatures. They inspired him to deepen the dimples on the soles of basketball shoes to resemble the suction cups of an octopus, thereby improving players' starting and stopping.

The first shoes for marathon running

In 1953, the company designed special marathon shoes to reduce fatigue when running long distances. The shoes were based on the traditional indoor "tabi" footwear, which was characterized by a split toe. However, instead of cotton, they used vinylon, which prevents feet from sweating. The shoe also included a sponge on the heel. They noticed that marathon runners took the blisters they developed while running for granted.

So in 1960 they tried to develop blister-proof shoes. Inspired by the cooling system in cars, they tried to fill the soles with water, but it turned out that the shoes were too heavy and also caused wet feet. However, they did not give up on this unsuccessful attempt, they were inspired by motorcycles that were cooled by air. They created shoes that they named Magic Runner. The shoes had holes in the front on the tip and on the sides, thanks to which they were able to circulate air while running.

The brand began to enjoy popularity all over the world. ONITSUKA marathon shoes were also worn by British Basil Heatley, who won the silver medal in 1964 at the Tokyo Summer Olympics, and Japanese KokichiTsuburaya, who finished a close second behind the British.

During the following years, the Onitsuka company progressed in the development of not only running shoes, but also shoes intended for various sports. For example, it launched gymnastic shoes, wrestling shoes, football boots, fencing shoes and volleyball shoes.

How did the iconic "tiger stripes" come about?

The legendary stripes, which are also characteristic of today's ASICS footwear models, were introduced in 1966 under the name "Mexico line." The shoes were designed for athletes representing Japan at the Summer Olympics in Mexico.

Before the big debut, during the qualifying rounds, the shoes attracted a lot of attention. Nevertheless, their grand entrance had to wait until the opening ceremony of the games in Mexico, where the entire Japanese delegation entered the stadium wearing the MEXICO DELEGATION model and presented the public with the now characteristic "Onitsuka Tiger Stripes."

The design was created during an internal competition, which had the task of creating a distinctive sign that had to be functional at the same time. The strips brought greater stability to the surface material and significantly improved durability.

How Onitsuka Co., Ltd. renamed to ASICS?

In 1977, three companies - Onitsuka Co. Ltd., GTO Co., Ltd., and Jelenk Co., Ltd. joined and formed ASICS. They entered the market as a manufacturer of sporting goods. The name is an acronym of the aforementioned Latin quote, which reflects the company's philosophy.

Over the following years, they opened several branches around the world. In 1990, in the Japanese city of Kobe, they built the Research Institute of Sports Sciences, which proves their determination to constantly innovate and help athletes improve their performance. They have become the favorite brand of many successful athletes. Serbian tennis player Novak Djoković liked tennis shoes, American marathon runner and bronze medalist from the 2004 Olympics, Deena Kastor.