History of the Asics brand
A healthy mind in a healthy body. You don't know what you're talking about? The Asics brand does not bear its name for no reason, but it is the first letters of the Latin quote "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano ", the translation of which we already gave you in the first sentence. Emphasis on a healthy body is the domain of the company to this day, the protection of the musculoskeletal system is guaranteed thanks to the gel cushioning in the front and heel, which is patented by Asics and is essential for this brand.
The strong Asics brand stands on the pillars of the diligence of technology developers and the achievements of athletes who used and still use the equipment of this brand. Let's take a brief look at how the development of one of the best sports brands in the world looked like.
Its history begins in Japan in 1949, when founder Kihachiro Onitsuka returned from the war. In 1949, the Onitsuka Co. brand was registered until 1977 when the company took 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 1,927 EUR.
Most people would start their business with something simpler, but that was not the case with Onitsuka. One of the first products they introduced to the market in 1950 was basketball shoes, typical of the difficulty of production.
The models from the Mexico collection, which were presented at the Olympics in 1966, are definitely worth mentioning. They are typical for their unique design, which you can still see on your feet, but now they are no longer used for sports, but as a fashionable piece for leisure wear.
The Asics brand has a strong marathon history - even now, we can see runners wearing shoes with the iconic spiral. In 1953, the company launched its first marathon shoe - ONITSUKA Marathon TABI.
However, basketball and marathon shoes are not Asics' only specialty. This company also produces or has produced shoes for volleyball, baseball, football, sneakers, fencing shoes, as well as shoes for gymnastics.
In 1990, an institute for research and development of sports equipment was established in Kobe, Japan. Scientists here have ideal conditions for developing the best sports equipment. To give you an idea of what it looks like, the center is equipped with an all-weather athletics track with three different types of surface, two types of tennis courts, a swimming pool, an experimental gymnasium and a number of laboratories.
The goal of the institute is to achieve the IGS philosophy - to create the best possible running shoe and provide the runner with the necessary stability, adaptability and cushioning.
The running boom of the 1970s caused Asics to focus on shoes for recreational runners. The first road model was called MONTREAL II and the trail model ENDURO. In the 1980s, silicone cushioning technology GEL™ (Alpha Gel) was used for the first time, which cushions the impact of the foot with every step. After many innovations, this element is still used in Asics sports shoes today.
The first foray into the realm of pronation shoes was the first version of the GEL-KAYANO shoe from 1990, which was followed in 1993 by another pronation shoe, the GT-2000. Today's top model of neutral road shoes GEL-NIMBUS was first introduced to the market in 1999.
