History of the Asics brand
Healthy body, healthy spirit. You don't know what we're talking about? The Asics brand name is not just named for no reason, but is the first letters of the Latin quote "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano", the translation of which we have already given you in the first sentence. The emphasis on a healthy body is the company's domain to this day, the protection of the musculoskeletal system is guaranteed thanks to the gel dampingin the front and heel, which Asics has patented and is essential for the brand.
The strong Asics brand stands on the pillars of the diligence of technology developers and the success of athletes who have used and continue to use the brand's equipment. Let's take a brief look at what the evolution of one of the best sports brands has been like.
The history begins in Japan in 1949, when founder Kihachiro Onitsuka returned from war. In 1949, the Onitsuka Co. brand was registered, and it wasn't until 1977 that the company took on the name ASICS Co. At that time, it was a small company with four employees, with a capital of 300,000 yen, which is about 55,000 CZK in Czech money.
Most people would have started with something simpler when starting their business, but that was not the case with Onitsuka. One of the first products to be launched in 1950 was basketball shoes, which at the time were considered the most difficult shoes to make.
Worth mentioning are the models from the Mexico collection, which were introduced at the 1966 Olympics. They unique of their design, which you can still see on the feet of people, but now they are no longer used for sports, but as a fashion shoes for casual wear. If you're interested in shoes from the Mexico collection, we recommend checking out the Onitsuka Tiger brand.
The Asics brand has a strong marathon history, even now you can see runners wearing their shoes with the iconic spiral. In 1953, they launched their first marathon shoe - the ONITSUKA Marathon TABI.
So far we've imagined Asics developing basketball and marathon shoes, but that's not even a fraction of the brand's range. They also produce or have produced volleyball shoes, sneakers, football boots, baseball shoes, fencing shoes, and gymnastics shoes.
In 1990, an institute for research and development of sports equipment was established in Kobe, Japan. The scientists here have ideal conditions for developing the best sports equipment. To give you an idea of what this looks like, the centre is equipped with an all-weather athletics track with three different types of surface, two types of tennis courts, a swimming pool, an experimental gym and a number of laboratories.
The institute aims to achieve the IGS philosophy of creating the best possible running shoe and providing the runner with the lightest possible shoe that provides stability, adapts to the foot and cushions on the rebound.
The running boom in the 1970s caused Asics to focus on shoes for hobbyists, not just pros. The first road model was called MONTREAL II and the trail model was called ENDURO. In the 80's, the first use of α GEL (Alpha Gel) silicone cushioning technology was introduced to cushion the feet from impact. After many innovations, this feature is still used in Asics sports shoes today. You can find a full overview of the technology at the link.
The first foray into the realm of pronation shoes was the first version of the GEL-KAYANO shoe in 1990, followed by another pronation shoe, the GT-2000, as early as 1993. Today's top model of neutral road shoes, the GEL-NIMBUS, was first launched in 1999.
If you want to know more information of the Asics models, look directly at the subpage where the models for all sports are listed.
