A gas station became the setting for Onitsuka Tiger‘s Spring/Summer 2027 show in Milan.
The presentation opened with black-and-white security-camera footage of the station. Bikers stopped to fill their tanks, while models began appearing from inside the shop where customers would normally go to pay.
The whole setting felt like an action movie: chill guitar played as the first looks came out, slowly joined by heavier bass and the sound of motorcycles interrupting the music. Bikers stopped to fill their tanks while models appeared from inside the station, moving between sporty and casual looks. The gas station wasn’t just a backdrop — it set the mood for the entire collection.
Motorcycle references appeared throughout the clothes: heavy pants, jackets, utility vests and racing-inspired graphics were mixed with more everyday pieces. Honda also appeared across the collection through the brand’s collaboration with Onitsuka Tiger, including blue trousers carrying the Honda wing logo.
From the Road to Everyday Dressing
It’s part of a bigger habit in fashion right now: taking things that once belonged to a specific activity and moving them into everyday dressing. Ballet flats left the dance studio, cycling pants left the bicycles, hiking shoes left the trail, and now motorcycle pieces are being treated in much the same way. Onitsuka Tiger takes that idea to the road for SS27, mixing biker references with clothes that don’t require a motorcycle to make sense.
The collection wasn’t only about the tougher side of the road, though. Sheer dresses and transparent layered tops appeared alongside utility jackets, while fringed details showed up on vests, jackets and hems. There was a slight Western feeling in some of the looks, while others leaned into classic casual dressing through checked trousers, fitted T-shirts and loose jackets.
The colour palette moved between familiar Onitsuka Tiger territory and more experimental finishes. Yellow remained an important part of the collection, but some of the footwear appeared in metallic yellow, green and silver finishes, giving the familiar shoes a more reflective appearing.
The return of slimmer, flatter footwear has also worked in Onitsuka Tiger’s favour. After years of chunky Jordans, Salomons and platform sneakers dominating everyday footwear, the brand’s low-profile silhouettes feel like a welcome change. They have become increasingly cool with a new generation, while staying much closer to the ground than the oversized sneakers we’ve become used to.
This Time, It’s the Boots
But SS27 takes the footwear in another direction too. The boots have existed before, but this season they come back higher, with a more pronounced heel and platform, giving the collection a stronger statement shoe. Last season, the kitten heels brought a delicate side to Onitsuka Tiger; this time, the boots take over.
A Sports Brand That Became a Fashion Brand
That movement between heritage and something new has always been part of Onitsuka Tiger. The brand began as a sports-shoe company in postwar Japan in 1949, later becoming part of ASICS in 1977 before the Onitsuka Tiger name returned as a fashion label in 2002. The MEXICO 66 became central to that revival, while Uma Thurman’s yellow TAI-CHI shoes in Kill Bill turned the brand into a major pop-culture reference in 2003.
Andrea Pompilio has been part of that transformation for more than a decade. The Italian designer began working with Onitsuka Tiger in 2012, developing the brand’s Yellow Collection and pushing its sportswear heritage further into fashion.
For SS27, that relationship is visible in the way the collection moves between function and fashion. Motorcycle trousers don’t need a motorcycle. Racing graphics don’t need a racetrack. A utility vest can become part of a layered look, and a pair of boots can move much further away from their original sporty context.
The Road Trip Continues
Last season, the kitten heel gave Onitsuka Tiger’s footwear a surprisingly delicate turn. This time, the boots take more of the attention: taller, heavier and finished with a heel. The MEXICO 66 may still be the brand’s most recognisable shoe, but SS27 makes a pretty convincing case for looking down the road.