La scarpa Onitsuka Tiger Stripes compie 50 anni
9 Images
by Angelo Ruggeri
View gallery
Fifty years and still going strong. The Onitsuka Tiger Stripes shoe by Asics celebrates its 50th anniversary. In 1964, entrepreneur Onitsuka Tiger understood the need to find a unique and distinctive mark for his products and give it great recognition value. He launched an internal competition within his company, encouraging all employees to propose an idea (over 200 people participated in the contest). Step by step, the developers narrowed down the selection, until they had five models from which the final choice would emerge. These entered the design phase, where the real research began. Together with athletes and experts from the University of Kyoto, the designers tested the proposals considering a particular characteristic: “which design offers the best and tangible performance enhancement?”. In 1966, the answer fell on the Onitsuka Tiger Stripes sneakers.
In 1968, the shoes made their debut at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968, when the entire Japanese delegation entered the stadium wearing the Mexico Delegation model. Today, Asics presents the same model reintroduced fifty years later, for future generations. To continue celebrating one of the most famous shoes in the world, which is also the subject of an exhibition in Singapore.