The simple gesture of tapping one’s feet on the ground helps the human body regain stability and grounding, encouraging subsequent movement. However, the conventional configuration of present day footwear isn’t conducive to this seemingly inconsequential yet fundamental act.
Multivalent Japanese firm Miyake Design Studio—the group founded by its namesake fashion heavyweight in 1970—recently teamed up with Kobe-based sportswear brand ASICS to develop the format defining Hyper Tapping shoes concept. Imagined to facilitate the essential action, the new sneaker carefully positions feet in the right position; providing support where necessary.
For the design’s inventive configuration, the teams drew inspiration from the foot-hugging wrestling hightop, a typology conducive to quick, agile physical performance, perhaps even akin to ballet. The Hyper Tapping borrows its outsole as its insole.
The design is even more pared back, however, as a layering of colorful straps closely contours the hoof. It all comes down to the careful calibration of elastics and cushioning. The latter is finely adjusted around the ankle for additional comfort but also facilitates flexibility. As innovative as the shoe is, it’s still decipherable as a sports shoe; one even engineered specifically for running. The concept is both nascent and universal; freshly shaped but recognizable.
Available in monochromatic black and grey but also playful interplays of cobalt blue, neon red, and lime yellow, Hyper Tapping also reflects a new brand visualization strategy for ASICS; a colorful abstraction of its iconic stripe logo. This visual element becomes structurally indispensable to the design as one of the integrated straps; demonstrating how such a symbol can become formally sound.
The company prides itself on “A Sound Mind in a Sound Body” philosophy. Like its counterpoint on this project, the brand champions ongoing research, especially within the realm of ergonomics and physiology. This latest proposal stems from that ethos and ongoing mission.
To shop the collection, visit asics.com.
Photography courtesy of ASICS.
