History of Asics
The origins of Asics can be dated back to 1949. War veteran Kichachiro Onitsuka founded the company ONITSUKA Shokai in the city of Kobe. Initially, the company had two employees and a capital of 300,000 yen. The first shoes the company created were basketball shoes. Their soles resembled the work of an octopus' tentacles, which stuck slightly to the surface, improving grip and stability. This shoe model also appealed to runners and a year later the winner of the Boston Marathon crossed the finish line wearing these shoes.
In 1977, the company merged with GTO Co. and JELENK Co. It was then that the ASICS brand was officially born. Today, the Asics and Onitsuka Tiger brands are found under the ASICS banner.
The name ASICS is the initial letters of the Italian saying 'Anima Sana In Corpore Sano' - 'in a healthy body, a healthy mind'. The phrase itself is a company philosophy that expresses a strong desire for people around the world to live healthy and happy lives through sport, and Asics wants to help this goal by contributing to global sports culture as a general sports equipment manufacturer.
Further development and technologies
A major breakthrough was the development of GEL™ technology, which became revolutionary in the 1990s. This technology provides support and sufficient cushioning to runners' feet. It can still be found today in the GEL-LYTE™ III, GEL-KAYANO™, GT-2000™ and GEL-NIMBUS™ running shoe models. In addition to running shoes, the company also makes footwear and apparel for volleyball, american football, rugby and tennis.
Asics tennis shoes are highly technologically advanced and are used by the biggest tennis stars. The most popular Asics tennis shoe models are: Court FF Novak, Gel-Resolution 8 and Solution Speed FF2.
The ASICS brand will continue the idea of its founder. The company was originally founded to uplift Japanese youth and now promotes healthy lifestyles around the world. These ideas have helped shape today's ASICS brand.
Brand ambassadors
The most recognisable tennis players who play in Asics apparel or footwear are:
• Novak Djokovic
• Iga Świątek
• Gael Monfils
• Borna Ćorić
• David Goffin
• Matteo Berettini
• Alex de Minaur
• Samantha Stosur
