2016 has been a milestone year for sneaker and menswear designer Ronnie Fieg. Not only is it the fifth anniversary of his New York-based store, Kith, but it also marks 10 years since Fieg began working with Asics.
The relationship between Fieg and Asics has been a bountiful one, producing nearly 50 different pairs of Asics Gel sneaker collaborations since 2006. As Fieg gears up to drop collaboration number 50, he’s got something special planned to reward fans who have been by his side during the decade-long journey.
For the first time since its original release in 1999, Fieg will bring back the Asics Gel Mai, complete with special-edition packaging. The Ronnie Fieg x Asics Gel Mai “Militia Initiative” collaboration is limited to 750 pairs and will come packaged with a custom carabiner, Stance socks, pins and four sets of matching laces.
The Ronnie Fieg x Asics Gel Mai “Militia Initiative” box set is slated to drop on Nov. 22, a date that Fieg has dubbed Legends Day that will also see the release of three more collector’s-box collaborations. Other sneakers expected to release during Legends Day include “Military” and “Salmon Toe” colorways of the Asics Gel Lyte 3.1, the latter of which is pictured below.
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“The [Gel Lyte] 3.1 represents the transformation of retro-tech product. It’s a display of how designs like the Gel Lyte 3 would look if they had continued to evolve rather than being left in the archive,” Fieg said of the Gel Lyte 3.1 collaboration. “I pushed hard to make them a reality for 2016, and I worked with Asics diligently to get them right. However, the production process is so laborious and involved that Asics told me they would help me to create three of them to release this year, but would not produce any more going forward. After the release of the two colorways that will drop as part of the Legends Day Collection, the public will never see this silhouette again.”
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