During the past decades there have not been many sneakers having such a strong impact on the market as the Asics Gel Saga. The Japanese athletic equipment company has been on a mission and to promote a “healthy mind in a healthy body” which is the translation for the Latin phrase, anima sana in corpora sano (ASICS). The company has since revised the translation for marketing purposes to “Sound Mind, Sound Body.” Price-wise, ASICS is more expensive than other brands and rightly so. This brand has been outperforming other athletic footwear especially with their running shoes.
Originally, ASICS was a basketball shoe manufacturer when it started in 1949 but gradually expanded to cater to all athletes’ especially Olympic athletes. By 2006, ASICS was worth 171 billion yen with almost 50% of its sales from the local Japanese market, 19% in Europe, and 28% in North America. Three years ago, ASICS replaced Adidas as the official kit manufacturer for the national cricket team of Australia.
The Gel Saga from ASICS came out in 1990. It was introduced as running shoes and known for its generous cushioning, style, and comfort. The ASICS logo can be found on the upper side of the perforated toe with the patented gel in the midsole. When it came out, it was available in several colors and became an instant favorite even among non-runners.
The gel technology of ASICS is found inside the forefront, midsection, or heel areas of an ASICS gel shoe design. This is the company’s answer to proper shock absorption when jogging, running, or doing high impact aerobics. The company owns the patent, which means no one, is allowed to copy, produce, market, or sell gel technology in athletic shoes.
ASICS has explained the gel technology as being gel-filled cavities with flexible partitions that controls the flow of the gel. Each cavity is separated by an air chamber and the movement of the feet while running allows the gel to move around in order to achieve perfect balance. This prevents injury from heel first or forefoot first high impact sports.
The Asics Gel Saga has been reinvented to be a fashion forward shoe for the retro sneaker look. It still has the gel technology, padded collar and tongue, speckled midsole, rubber outsole, and uses a combination of mesh, synthetic, rubber, textile, and suede materials. The signature striking colors are still being offered which makes it appealing to the young and young at heart.
The brand has also been very active offering the Asics Gel Saga as a starting design for collaboration work which is why it is not uncommon to find tie-ups like BAIT’s Phantom Lagoons, the Lily Brown x ASICS Gel Saga or the Foot Patrol x ASICS Gel Saga II. Thus far, all collaborative efforts have been extremely successful and tastefully done.
The retro Gel Saga has been called the company’s cornerstone product; the main product that continues to carry the brand’s name with honor and pride. In terms of fit, this lace-up chic fashion retro sneaker is true to size, light, and a little wide in the front. Definitely, a worthy buy because of the comfort it offers and the pride that comes with owning and wearing an ASICS. It served as an inspiration starting point for many modern ASICS models, like the the Lyte Classic or the Quantum 180.
Not sure about your size? Check out our ASICS size chart here.
