ASICS Sportstyle partners with the Toyoda Gosei company to reconstruct the GEL-SONOMA™ 15-50 sneaker with recycled airbag materials. Airbags in cars are carefully developed with precise standards to ensure safety and functionality. However, the prototype airbags that don’t pass the tests are discarded. This has resulted in a growing amount of waste. ASICS is committed to reducing the impact to our environment; Gosei found a way to repurpose the discarded content onto the GEL-SONOMA™ 15-50 sneaker design. Despite not passing car safety standards, these airbags still offer advanced durability properties. This inspired the design team to repurpose the materials for the shoe’s underlays. The underlays are also offset with the same red stitching that appears on the airbags produced by Toyoda Gosei. Its stitching is met with various numbering and letters that match the codes embroidered onto standard airbags. Meanwhile, the tongue is offset with a fluffy badge detail that’s inspired by the look of an inflated airbag.
