Brands are always looking for ways to leave their mark. ASICS headed to the hills of Kumamoto, Japan, to create something on a much larger scale than a billboard.
The project, titled Leaving a Mark, celebrates craftsmanship, human connection and the simple pleasure of getting outside.
For the installation, ASICS collaborated with Sato-san, a local ryokan owner. A ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn, and Sato-san helped hand-carve the brand’s iconic spiral logo into the grassland. No elaborate studio setup, no hundreds of extras flown in for a campaign shoot. Just a piece of land, a local craftsman and a rather large ASICS logo.
The campaign images have a lovely, unforced quality to them. We see Sato-san by the water, enjoying a fishing trip, alongside a younger man wearing the brand. It doesn’t feel like a typical fashion campaign trying to sell us an idealised lifestyle. The moments are ordinary, and that’s probably why they work. You just want to give Sato-san a hug.
A different kind of footprint
The idea behind Leaving a Mark is rooted in ASICS’ Japanese heritage and its philosophy of Anima Sana in Corpore Sano, meaning a sound mind in a sound body. The brand uses the project to highlight the relationship between movement, nature and the people who shape the places around them.
There’s also an interesting detail about the installation itself: it isn’t meant to stay there forever. The grassland is regularly cut for cattle feed before undergoing Noyaki, a traditional controlled burning practice. The artwork follows that natural cycle rather than becoming a permanent addition to the landscape.
Of course, there’s always a conversation to be had about brands bringing their logos into nature. Some might argue that instead of carving a giant logo into a hillside, companies could simply plant a few trees. Fair enough. But marketing is marketing, and if you’re selling a product, you need people to know it exists. At least ASICS chose a local collaboration, real craftsmanship and an actual landscape over another entirely computer-generated campaign.
On the move with GEL-NYC 2.0
The project also arrives alongside ASICS’ wider summer activities celebrating the launch of the GEL-NYC 2.0. The new silhouette builds on the brand’s running heritage, with updated cushioning technology, including FF BLAST PLUS and strategically placed GEL units, designed to make the shoe lighter and more comfortable than its predecessor.
The shoes come in light grey, dark green and black, making them easy to work into an everyday wardrobe without losing the technical character ASICS is known for. They’re the kind of sneakers you can wear regularly and expect to hold up.
ASICS also took the GEL-NYC 2.0 on the road with On The Move, a series of pop-ups in Amsterdam, Berlin and Marseille. Designed by multidisciplinary studio CLOUD, the travelling installation took the form of a large, cloud-like structure, inviting visitors to explore the shoe, try it on and spend some time moving through the space.
Sometimes, it’s just about being outside
Between the Kumamoto installation and the European activations, ASICS is giving the GEL-NYC 2.0 more than one setting to exist in. One is built around a local craftsman’s work and the landscape he knows; the other brings people together through a temporary design installation in the city.
What I like most about the Kumamoto images is how little they seem to be trying to sell us. The older man, the fishing trip, the open landscape and the quiet interaction between people make for a genuinely pleasant campaign. No need to invent a complicated story or turn every frame into a spectacle.