Tennis Helps Drive Asics’ First NYC Sportstyle Popup
Emma Navarro in a photo shoot for the Sportstyle lineup from Asics.
Asics
When Asics debuted its first-ever North American Sportstyle popup in New York City, timed with the U.S. Open, the company saw lines snaking down the Manhattan sidewalk. Consumers clamored for the technically driven lifestyle footwear options from the Japanese brand, led by the Asics 1130, but driven by an intersection of sport and culture coinciding with the world’s best tennis players descending on the city.
Asics eagerly embraced that connection, using tennis stars such as Italian Lorenzo Musetti and American Emma Navarro to help lead the Sportstyle push. “It has been absolutely amazing,” Cat Ayers, vice president of marketing for Asics, tells me about the opening of the popup. “That category alone has definitely taken off. We have seen phenomenal traffic, and the energy is high. We are lucky some of the tennis players we have organically lend themselves into the Sportstyle space. Lorenzo Musetti is not just amazing on the court but really represents the brand off the court.”
Sportstyle, defined by Asics as a technical take on lifestyle, mixes some of the brand’s classic running or tennis silhouettes brought back as a lifestyle option alongside newer lifestyle-focused designs still infused with technical components. “Sportstyle is rooted in sport, based on innovation,” Ayers says. “Our goal is to make sure we have the most comfortable shoes out there. The most amazing thing is not only do they have that look of on-trend fashion, but they have the Asics tech underneath it.”
The Asics Sportstyle popup in New York City.
Asics
That’s the key. “Everything we do from a Sportstyle standpoint is rooted in that technology,” Ayers says. “When you think about Sportstyle for us, it is the most tech-credible footwear out there in the lifestyle category.”
Navarro tells me that’s what she appreciates most. “I like to be in comfortable, sporty clothes and a good shoe just ties that all together,” she says. “That’s why when I do anything off court, whether running errands or going for a walk, I love Asics. They are fashionable. I can dress them up or dress them down. They are very versatile and very comfortable.”
The Charleston-based tennis player became the face of Asics Sportstyle in New York thanks to a photo shoot earlier in the year in her hometown. The campaign now peppers NYC. Navarro remembers the photo shoot in hot and humid conditions being tricky, but she still had a ton of fun shooting the shoes. Now seeing herself across the city where she was born—she moved to South Carolina at a young age—is “really cool.”
Asics plans to continue activating around its Sportstyle lineup across fashion and sports moments.
Asics
“When you are in the shoot, you don’t always see the vision, so it is cool to see things come together,” she says. “You see the vision come to life. The creative part of me appreciates that a lot.”
For Musetti, he appreciates that Asics has a range of “cool sneakers” that allows him to pair with daily outfits as he curates his look off the court. “I like what they give me,” he says. “I like to wear good stuff to express myself.”
Ayers says that pairing the popup with the buzz of tennis in New York allows Asics to merge its momentum in technical running and tennis. “We are a brand 100% rooted in movement,” she says. “Our goal is to make sure we have the most comfortable shoes out there.”
Emma Navarro during an Asics photo shoot in Charleston that is now leading a New York campaign.
Asics
In New York, Asics has brought out hard-to-get Sportstyle collaborations alongside the inline models. They also have exclusive purchasing opportunities for members. Part of the allure of the segment has been the boutique-level distribution that creates demand. Bringing together all the models—from the 1130 to the Kayano 14 to the tennis-inspired Gel-Resolution 5 and a mix of limited collabs—helped give the popup extra interest, especially timed with both the U.S. Open and New York Fashion Week. “We understand that sport and culture go hand-in-hand,” Ayers says. “It is something new and really fun.”
This may just be the start. “We are going to continue the momentum and intersect sport and culture,” Ayer says about plans to create experiences around more fashion events, whether Paris or Milan, while embracing tennis, “making sure we outfit the athlete comfortably, no matter what they are doing.”
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