[Update 18 Aug 2023] Following its ASICS release, the OTTO 958 x ASICS GEL FLEXKEE collection is now confirmed to arrive via OTTO 958’s webshop on 7 September. While details on the lineup have yet to be disclosed, we can expect all three colorways to arrive on the projected date. We will inform you here if more updates surface.

[Update 10 Aug 2023] If you’ve been waiting for the pair for months, rejoice. The wait has an end. Find the pair on ASICS and select retailers on 14 August. Two colorways will lead the charge, a “Gun Metal” and “Hunter Green” with both pairs going for US$180. Enjoy the official images at the gallery above as we await more specifics about its release avenues.

[Update 21 Jul 2023] Months later, we finally have more release details. According to @le.syndrome, the OTTO 958 x ASICS collaboration will drop via the ASICS webstore as well as ASICS Sportsstyle dealers for US$150, or 190,000 KRW. We currently still don’t have a confirmed release date, so stay tuned while we await further information!

[Update 16 Mar 2023] New images have emerged online, courtesy of @le.syndrome. The latest visuals to surface showcase the three colorways of the currently unnamed pair, collectively. In another, what seems to be a leaked working diagram depicts the shoes while on the drawing board, its blueprint before arriving on the final samples that’s seen.

Not much is known about the pairs just yet but more information should surface in due time. With these new looks, the optimism that they’ll arrive sooner rather than later, is justified.

Kiko Kostadinov’s fruitful collaborative relationship with ASICS has spawned a line of iconic sneaker designs, amassing a following among those that favour a more maximalist approach to wear. Certainly, the London-based designer’s works with the Japan-born brand have always been equipped with bold streaks and slightly unconventional silhouettes, most recently evidenced by their triple collab with HYSTERIC GLAMOUR.

Now, in 2023, Kiko Kostadinov and ASICS are renewing their vivid aesthetic through a OTTO 958 x ASICS collaboration that exudes an unabashedly retrofuturistic look. For the uninitiated, OTTO 958 is a “data” project crafted from the refined hands of Kiko Kostadinov and the contemporary Morán Morán Gallery in LA. The cultural platform is essentially a vault of data blocks, with virtual data and codes appearing as IRL textile prints.

The technology-centric nature of OTTO 958 is aptly channeled into this upcoming ASICS collaboration, which sees the former’s geometrical “O” logo attached onto a slim, football-like silhouette. The upper’s leather construction is slightly puffed and sewn down with circular stitches. Uniquely, the tongue’s panel slants inwards, giving the laces an interesting off-center feel.

As of now, three colorways have been revealed—a muted khaki grey, a deep jade green and simple black accented with purple trims. The “O” logo switches into complementary colors depending on the base’s tones, but nonetheless remains the centerpiece of the collaborative sneakers. It feels futuristic, yet exudes the 90’s unabashed boldness — perfect descriptors for a retrofuturist’s wardrobe.

While no concrete release details have landed with leaked imagery, OTTO 958’s Instagram post suggests that it’s a 2023 (or 2oOo23) drop. Stay tuned for more updates on this page.

In the meantime, may we interest you in Teddy Santis’ latest Aimé Leon Dore x New Balance collab?

Close up image via @le.syndrome.