ISSEY MIYAKE and ASICS introduce ISSEY MIYAKE FOOT, a footwear development project that brings together design, technology and the long-term study of human movement.
The collaboration between ISSEY MIYAKE and ASICS takes a decisive step forward with the launch of ISSEY MIYAKE FOOT, a new joint footwear development project set to officially debut from the Spring–Summer 2026 season. Conceived by MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO (MDS), the initiative moves away from the idea of a one-off capsule to position itself as a platform for continuous research, focused on the human foot, its structure and its direct relationship with everyday movement.
Rather than treating footwear as a simple accessory, ISSEY MIYAKE FOOT approaches it as a field of study. Each design begins with an anatomical analysis of the foot and translates that knowledge into proposals intended for daily wear. The collaboration is underpinned by years of shared product development in Japan, establishing a working relationship based on experience and expertise, rather than surface-level collaboration.
For ASICS, the project aligns naturally with its long-term vision of creating quality lifestyles through intelligent sports technology. The brand contributes the knowledge developed at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science, where research into the human body, biomechanics and movement guides every stage of design. This scientific foundation allows for a refined understanding of how a shoe responds to the body in motion, beyond purely athletic performance.
From MIYAKE DESIGN STUDIO, the approach remains consistent with the house’s historic philosophy: studying the relationship between body and clothing, starting from the most fundamental unit. In this project, that logic extends to footwear, where form, stability and flexibility respond directly to how the body moves, balances and adapts. Together with ASICS, footwear becomes a space for experimentation, technical development and long-term vision.
The scope of ISSEY MIYAKE FOOT is deliberately broad and open-ended. Some designs reinterpret elements from the ASICS archive through the conceptual lens of MDS, while others expand ISSEY MIYAKE’s techniques and technologies through the sports brand’s technical expertise. The project also gives rise to entirely new footwear concepts, born directly from joint research rather than established references.
The first tangible outcome of this collaboration is HYPER TAPING, unveiled during Paris Men’s Fashion Week at the IM MEN Spring–Summer 2026 show. The sneaker will launch in Japan on 5 January 2026 and is built around a reconstruction of the iconic ASICS stripes, originally developed to reinforce structure and improve fit.
The concept of “taping”, developed by MDS, serves as the design’s central axis. This system aims to stabilise the body and facilitate movement, integrating a wrestling-inspired sole, a completely new last, a re-engineered insole for everyday comfort, and a carefully considered combination of materials, forms and colours. The result is not just a sneaker, but a statement on how contemporary design, science and movement can converge to create a new language for the footwear of the future.
