Asics Gel-Lyte III

About

The Asics Gel-Lyte III was released in 1990, designed by Shigeyuki Mitsui, who joined Asics in 1984 and created the shoe entirely on his own. The silhouette introduced three defining technical features: a triple-density sole for tiered cushioning, exposed gel packs for impact absorption, and most distinctively, a split tongue — a design that divides the tongue into two separate panels to make the shoe significantly easier to put on and to reduce pressure points across the top of the foot. The split tongue became the Gel-Lyte III's signature visual identifier and has been retained across every reissue and collaboration since the original. According to Wikipedia, the Gel-Lyte III is considered Asics' most popular shoe, generating more sales and collaborations than any other model in the company's history. The shoe gained particular momentum in the collector community beginning in summer 2007, when the first wave of collaborations introduced it to a new generation of sneaker buyers, followed by a second significant surge in the mid-2010s as the broader market for Japanese running-heritage silhouettes expanded rapidly.