Following the opening of its first Los Angeles boutique next to Renegade, Bandit Running has unveiled its inaugural footwear collaboration in a new partnership with Japanese footwear brand ASICS. The popular Novablast 5 model is reimagined by Bandit with inspiration from the works of Japanese American artist Isamu Noguchi, representing the respective provenance of both collaborators.
With a muted off-white palette, Bandit uses a mixture of sheer and translucent textiles across the uppers, evoking the classic paper lanterns Noguchi’s studio continues to produce today. The artist’s stone works are referenced in a gravel-like texture that characterizes the knitted uppers, while the lateral panels feature sheer taped overlays, representing an abstract Bandit emblem.
Accents of red appear at the midsole heel and near the tongue, nodding to the Noguchi logo often seen on the original lanterns. The red accents continue on a discreet cobranded word mark near the toe and further on the insoles, which boast a Japanese typographic print. For more unconventional details, an industrial style tag is sewn to the top of the toe box, and the tongue is finished with a sculptural pleated texture. Each pair comes with a custom Japanese ripstop drawstring bag, including a translucent tag carrier.
While Bandit Members can buy the Bandit x ASICS Novablast 5 beginning on April 3, the shoes are set for a general release on Friday, April 4 at the Bandit web store.
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