For a long time, Asics sneakers were the sole preserve of extreme runners and style-agnostic dads. But over the last few years, slowly and then seemingly all at once, the Japanese sportswear juggernaut caught fire with another demographic entirely: style-pilled fellas less interested in logging miles than dressing like they could—y’know, the type of guys behind this very publication.
Asics didn’t explode in popularity overnight. The brand has been around in one form or another since 1949, and diehard sneakerheads will remind you that it wasn’t that long ago that the Gel-Lyte III was a bona fide collaborative grail. But the brand’s status in 2025 as one of the biggest stories in sneakers boils down to an archive packed with right-now silhouettes from the not-too-distant past, an assortment that continues to influence the biggest, boldest names in menswear, and attract some of the most sought-after collaborators across the board, crafting entirely new silhouettes—and getting nods from the likes of Kendrick Lamar—in the process.
In other words, there have never been more ways to add some tiger stripes to your rotation. To help you home in on the model worth your time, we went deep on 8 of the best Asics sneakers in the brand’s catalog, each one ready and raring to anchor baggy jeans and light jackets—or just help you beat the rush en route to the sneaker store. In the spirit of Asics itself, scroll through the below, decide what you like, and then haul ass to get ‘em before they’re gone.
The Gel-Kayano 14
The Asics archive is brimming with retro bangers, but the top dog–the one that helped put aughts-era running shoes on the map—is the Gel-Kayano 14. The silhouette first hit shelves in 2008, but in the time since it’s enjoyed a second life as a surprise fashion crowd favorite, even winning GQ’s Sneaker of the Year in the process. A slew of buzzy collaborations with the likes of A.P.C., JJJJound and Atmos might’ve supercharged its return, but even general-release versions can be tricky to snatch up, and for good reason. The Gel-Kayano 14 isn’t just one of the most recognizable It shoes on the market—it remains every bit the performance shoe it was back in ‘08, and remains a no-brainer-pickup at your local sneaker pusher. Really, it’s the silhouette that’s near single-footedly responsible for Asics’s current reign atop the charts.
The GT-2160
A quick FYI before we begin: This is the Asics sneaker on the rise. A couple of years ago, the top brass at Asics HQ began thinking about dusting off the GT-2160. The brand was already seeing a surge of interest in what it refers to as “vintage tech” models like the Gel-Kayano 14 above, and the GT-2160—an ultra-comfortable retro runner first released in the early 2010s—felt like the Kayano 14’s natural successor.
Asics’ marketing team knew exactly how to anoint it, quietly enlisting a roster of fashion-world collaborators to put their spin on the silhouette—the same approach that helped propel the Kayano 14 to the forefront of the menswear conversation. (In the case of the GT-2160, those names include Copenhagen-based designer Cecile Bahnsen, who swapped the shoe’s laces for floral velcro straps in one of the best interpretations; the ragtag skaters at Montreal’s Dime, who kitted out the style in dueling shades of ombre brown; and the Angelenos at Gallery Dept., who left the silhouette all-but-untouched save for a signature splatter of paint by the toe box.) Those didn’t last long, but that was only the beginning: Asics continues to do up the style in a wide range of approachable colors. Below, two of my current favorites.
The Gel-Kayano 20
If the Kayano-14 is the wholesome pick, the Gel-Kayano 20 is the dark horse of the Kayano family. The silhouette is touch more technical-looking, with its treated rubber sole and criss-crossed mesh outer, but somehow that all works together to give the shoe a sleeker, stealthier energy. Originally launched in 2013, the sneaker has long been recognized for its cushioning, but is increasingly getting credit for its good looks, too. Case in point: When longtime Asics collaborator Kiko Kostadinov was seeking his most recent model to rework, it was the Gel-Kayano 20 he eventually opted for.
The Gel-NYC
The aptly-named Gel-NYC first debuted in 2023 in collaboration with Queens native and Awake NY founder Angelo Baque. But its New York roots also manifest in the way it wraps disparate elements—in this case a trio of Asics models from three different decades—in an entirely new silhouette. The upper draws inspiration from the ’90s-era Gel-MC Plus and the circa-2000s Gel Nimbus 3, while the sole is lifted from a pair of Gel Cumulus 16 shoes from 2014. The result of all of that remixing? A shoe that somehow looks like it’s been around forever and feels extremely right now.
The UB9-S GEL-DS Trainer 14
Now we come to the truly new styles. Another Kiko Kostadinov collaboration, this eye-catching model is inspired, according to Asics, by the “connection between nature and humanity.” What does that actually look like in translation? In this case, clashing natural and artificial colors, all making a fun amount of noise on top of a plush sole that includes the brand’s rearfoot GEL technology. And despite the considerable hype that a new style from the brand, designed alongside Kostadinov, could have allowed Asics to charge for the shoe, sneakerheads are also appreciating that the style has been priced the same as the main line. Which makes it easier to use the shoe the way the brand intended: As a human recklessly roaming around in nature.
The Gel-Nimbus 27
Given all the hype surrounding Asics’s retro models, it’s easy to forget that the brand makes some of the best pure performance runners, too, and the Gel-Nimbus 27 is a great example of that. With those Tiger stripes, and exceptional comfort, it has strong ties to the Asics brand DNA, but looks a heckuva lot different to any of the other silhouettes on this list, a sign of the enormous strides Asics has made in the performance space over the last couple of decades. The Gel-Nimbus 27 exemplifies plush support at its best—let the soft, engineered Jacquard mesh seamlessly wrap around your foot, hit the streets, and know you were ten years early when fellas eventually start wearing ’em as archive classics.
The Gel Quantum Kinetic
Introduced in 2023, the Gel Quantum Kinetic is a newer option from Asics that shows the brand can do futuristic as well as they can do retro. If you’re still reading here, it’s likely you’re curious about that funky sole, too. Fear not: It features the same Gel technology that brand is renowned for, just combined with a new “Scutoid” Gel technology, which improves coverage and shock absorption for those days when you’re on out your feet for hours at a time. Couple that with the breathable, Kayano-esque mesh upper, and you’re dealing with the true best of both eras. You time traveler, you.
The Gel-Styrax
If you’re new here, the mule-ification of sneakers has been happening for a while now. Sneaker giants like Salomon and New Balance have adapted their silhouettes into the clog style, and I’m here to tell you that Asics now has as well. Its eye-catching silhouette is called the Asics Gel-Styrax, and the sneaker references both the previous Mountain Clog and Transcend series from Asics, both of which were rooted in the idea of training in nature. For example, even though you might not plan to take these bad boys on a run, you truly could: The model is made with the brand’s same beloved Gel sole unit, and is even complemented by what it calls “FF Blast Plus cushioning,” for extra impact absorption.