SHUSHU/TONG's Liushu Lei on the New ASICS SportStyle Collaboration
The new GEL-KINETIC FLUENT is set for release on August 9.
Some might say that SHUSHU/TONG and ASICS are an unlikely pairing. After all, the Shanghai-based brand is known for its contemporary take on girlhood, resulting in hyper-feminine details, pastel colorways and frills, while ASICS is known for its sporting heritage and functional footwear. However, the duo have teamed up in the past and thankfully, they’re doing it again…
During this season at Paris Fashion Week, ASICS SportStyle announced its new roster of collaborators and — yep, you’ve guessed it — SHUSHU/TONG is top of the list.
Teaming up to reimagine the GEL-KINETIC FLUENT, the duo’s new collaboration lands in two core colorways and blends Shushu’s distinctive design language with ASICS’ sneaker heritage. Blurring the lines between softness and structure, the shoe boasts signature ASICS stripes, foam cushioning and a mixed material upper, complete with SHUSHU’s dainty lace frills.
Ahead of the landmark launch, we caught up with SHUSHU/TONG’s co-founder Liushu Lei to find out a bit more about the collaboration and the process behind its design.
Read on for the full interview and stay tuned for the shoe’s official launch on August 9.
Tell us a bit about the decision to partner with ASICS again, what do you love and admire about the brand?
ASICS is a brand we’ve long admired. It has deep expertise in sports technology, while continuously exploring new forms of expression. When they first reached out to us in 2021, we were truly excited. What we appreciate most is their attention to detail and their respect for creative collaboration. They never try to define our design—they give us space to explore within their framework, and that kind of trust is rare and meaningful.
How did you begin to re-imagine the classic silhouette through the lens of SHUSHU/TONG? Where do you begin?
The GEL-KINETIC FLUENT has a strong, structured silhouette. Instead of trying to soften it, we chose to let it engage directly with our design language. We approached it through the visual and emotional symbol of lace—something that appears soft, but holds powerful expressive weight. When layered onto a highly functional structure, lace stops being just decorative. It becomes a statement. We wanted to show that structure can be emotional, and softness can also be resolute.
What’s your favorite part of the design?
Our favorite element is the three-dimensional lace on the upper. It’s the visual focal point and an emotional one as well. It’s not there to make the shoe look pretty—it’s a deliberate expression of sensitivity and strength. This kind of unapologetic emotion is something we also deeply value in our fashion design.
A lot of the designer footwear collaborations we’ve seen in the last year have seemed to focus on the Mary Jane silhouette. Was that something you also considered?
We love the Mary Jane silhouette, but this particular sneaker already has such a strong identity and technical edge. We wanted to preserve its original energy, and then build a SHUSHU/TONG softness on top of that. So rather than turning it into something “more like us,” we wanted it to become “a new version of us.”
Finally, how do you see the relationship between Shushu and ASICS evolving in the future?
This is our third collaboration with ASICS, and we’re understanding each other more with each project. There’s a growing synergy in the way we create together. Looking ahead, we’re excited to explore more possibilities and broader forms of collaboration.
