Style
Asics 2020 Olympics gear is some consolation for the canceled games
The games aren't happening, but some sneakers still are.
The delay of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics won't bury what Asics had in store for the occasion. The Japanese sportswear brand is following through with its planned releases, now obsolete logos and graphics be damned. And we should embrace that stubbornness because the footwear is too good to be erased by COVID-19.
Asics' "Multi-Color" pack consists of a Gel-Quantum 360 TYO and Gel-Quantum 90 sandal covered in a confetti-like series of ribbons in the Olympic colors. That includes black ribbons reading "Tokyo 2020," as well as the official 2020 Tokyo Olympics logo on the tongue. Sure, it's now inaccurate — but it's also a novelty. Years down the line, the sneakers may even be looked at as a mistake-turned-story, only making them more covetable.
Sneaks or sandals? — Bearing similar designs, the Gel-Quantum 360 TYO and Gel-Quantum 90 SD sandal provide a dealer's choice. Do you want a bouncy shoe with full-footed Gel cushioning or a strapped sandal with similar cushioning in the heel? There are no wrong answers. Both of these bang.
The Gel-Quantum 360 TYO has a sock-like fit on the upper and enhanced stability from Asics' Trusstic System technology. It's a bonafide runner, but anyone who scoops up this pair is unlikely to run it through the gauntlet. The Olympic makeup is too beautiful to punish, especially when you see the Gel units split into groupings of blue, yellow, and red.
The sandal, meanwhile, is a unisex model with an open toe and buckled strap. The Gel cushioning provides more bounce back than you'll find in most sandals, and the sturdy rubber outsole should hold up for many summers to come.
The clothes are butt — This ribbon effect that looks so good on the sneakers — it ain't so good on the apparel. A T-shirt, backpack, and scarf all feature the same pattern and all look like something you'd find in a horrendous tourist shop. Those could have been lost to history and COVID-19 and we'd be no worse for wear.
Skip all that and head for the footwear, which is available now through Asics' Japanese website. The sneakers are priced at ~$207, while the sandals are ~$99. You'll have to enlist a proxy, but it'll be worth the effort and give you a head start before all the updated Olympic gear drops next year. We'll have to wait a little longer to see how many other brands stick to the logos and styles they had planned for the now-postponed event.
