Even Asics Is Making Flat-Soled Sneakers Now

Flat sneakers were everywhere last year. From New Balance to Adidas, just about every sneaker brand put out a shoe with the sole shaved down to an absolute minimum. But Asics? Asics just carried on doing its own thing. And, to be fair, that made sense.Over the past few years, the Japanese sportswear company has been absolutely cleaning up with chunky silhouettes. There’s the Gel-Kayano 14, the Gel-1130, and the GT-2160 (as seen on Robert Pattinson in The Drama). The brand’s kicks are beloved by everyone from Josh O'Connor and Timothée Chalamet to Kendrick Lamar, the latter of whom was so taken by them he even stepped away from his beloved Swoosh. When you're already making some of the best bulky sneakers in the business, why fix what isn’t broken?Asics Gel-Phai Z ‘Black’ AsicsWell, probably because nobody can stay on the sidelines forever – and that’s where the brand new Gel-Phai Z comes in. It’s Asics’s first proper go at the low-profile trend, and somehow it's arrived about a year late without actually feeling late at all.From the top, it still looks unmistakably Asics. You’ve got the breezy mesh upper, shiny leather overlays, and those famous Tiger Stripes running across the sides. But everything underneath has been flattened out. The sole’s noticeably slimmer than anything else in the label’s current lineup, though the hidden Gel cushioning means you don’t have to sacrifice comfort just because everyone’s suddenly obsessed with skinny soles. Even the outsole has been redesigned around the way your foot naturally moves, rather than lifting it straight from one of the brand’s running shoes.The Gel-Phai Z also arrives in the middle of a very, very strong years for the company. Asics was one of the first major brands to really get behind the whole sneaker-mule thing, and its collab roster has never looked healthier. There was that Thom Browne drop that was revealed at GQ Bowl in February, as well as tabi trainers courtesy of Kiko Kostadinov. Over the next few months we’ll also be blessed with another mega-clean Studio Nicholson drop and Asics’s first link-up with LVMH Prize-nominated designer Juntae Kim. That’s a pretty stacked calendar.Asics Gel-Phai Z ‘Black’ AsicsSo while everyone else was busy chasing the flat sneaker trend last year, Asics was happy to sit it out. Now that it’s finally joined the convo, though, it might’ve ended up making one of the best ones yet.The Asics Gel-Phai Z ‘Black’ was released in Asia earlier this summer, with a global drop set for the near future. (In the meantime, you can nab a pair on secondary sites like GOAT.) More colorways are expected to follow (including a lovely brown version and a creamy suede pair), so stay tuned.This story originally appeared on British GQ.