Awake NY Debuts Thier First Original Sneaker, the ASICS GEL-NYC

Since moving on from Supreme in 2012, Angelo Baque and his Awake NY imprint have skyrocketed up the ranks of the streetwear scene through incredible products and curated collaborations. For the latter, ASICS has served as the main partner, and together they will celebrate Awake’s 10-year anniversary with the brand’s first original silhouette with the Japanese footwear company.

Thoiugh it’s not designed from scratch, the brand-new ASICS GEL-NYC blends and intertwines a slew of different models from the past. In an interview with Sneaker Freaker, Baque shared that his love letter to New York City referenced the GEL-Nimbus 3, GEL-MC Plus V, and GEL-Cumulus 16, mixing new technology with heritage design.

“What inspired the first GEL-Kayano 5 360 also inspired the GEL-NYC,” Baque told Sneaker Freaker. “At the end of the day, for me, it’s like, how do I envision a kid from Jackson Heights, Queens, the South Bronx – or even the outskirts of Paris – wearing ASICS? We went back to the essence of where we started with ASICS in 2019. No pun intended, but it was a full 360. It’s essentially a hard-ass shoe that you can wear on the day-to-day. It looks good with a suit and a tracksuit. It’ll look good on a date with your lady, you know what I mean? This is literally going back to the essence of where I started with ASICS.”

Two debut color combinations of the new sneaker–which are set to drop at Awake NY’s flagship store in NYC this month, both pictured below, but you should expect to see both a wider release of these, as well as fresh new colorways later in the year.

As always, keep your eyes glued to our official Twitter account for further updates.

Awake NY x ASICS GEL-NYC

Release Date: January 2023