By: Stefano Lionetti
ASICS gets off the road with Nature Bathing collection
Door-to-trail is now a growing market segment, and ASICS chooses to enter it with a particularly interesting approach that differs from other brands. Instead of imagining a new shoe, it decides to make its most beloved road models hybrids: and that’s how Novablast 3, Gel-Nimbus 24 and Gel-Cumulus 24 gain the suffix TR and with it an all-new outsole.
The thinking behind this is simple and straightforward: to have the freedom to switch seamlessly from asphalt to trail (and vice versa), all I need is for the shoe I already love and use regularly to have that extra bit of grip that I lack. And so it is that the new ASICS Lite rubber outsole does not distort the road core of the shoes on which it is applied, but rather enhances it, giving more confidence on descents, on gravel and especially on changes of direction. A particularly attentive and sensitive foot will notice a slight shift of the shoe’s center of gravity right on the sole, but we are talking about a few grams of little account, for a product that was certainly not born for the PB on the track.
The Nature Bathing collection is inspired by the Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku, and the color palette of warm, pastel tones recalls those of autumn leaves and forests. The outfit is complemented by a line of men’s/women’s clothing made from at least 50 percent recycled materials.
Check out all ASICS Nature Bathing products here
