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 World headquarters inKobe, Japan | |
Native name | 株式会社アシックス |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Ashikkusu |
| Company type | Public (K.K) |
| TYO:7936 | |
| Industry | Sports equipment,textile |
| Founded |
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| Founder | Kihachiro Onitsuka [ja] |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | ≈ 1,900 outlet stores worldwide (2017)[1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Motoi Oyama (Chairman andCEO)[2] |
| Products | Trainers,clothing |
| Brands | Onitsuka Tiger |
| Revenue |  ¥570.4 billion (2023) |
| ¥54.2 billion (2023) | |
| ¥35.2 billion (2023) | |
Number of employees | ≈ 8,900 (2023) |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | asics.com |
| Footnotes / references [3] | |
ASICS Corporation (Japanese:株式会社アシックス,Hepburn:Kabushiki gaisha Ashikkusu), commonly known as simplyAsics (/ˈæsɪks/,/ˈɑːsɪks/[4] or/ˈeɪsɪks/), is a Japanesemultinational corporation that producessportswear. Asics is best known for itssneakers, but also produces otherfootwear such assandals, as well asclothing (T-shirts,jackets,hoodies,swimwear,compression garments,leggings,socks) and accessories (bags,backpacks,caps).
The name is anacronym for theLatin phraseanima sana in corpore sano (translated by Asics as "a sound mind, in a sound body"). It is headquartered inKobe,Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
Asics began asOnitsuka Co., Ltd. on September 1, 1949.[5] FounderKihachiro Onitsuka [ja] began manufacturing basketball shoes in his hometown ofKobe,Hyōgo Prefecture,Japan. The range of sports activities serviced by the company expanded to a variety of Olympic styles used since the 1950s by athletes worldwide. Onitsuka became particularly known for theMexico 66 design,[6] in which the distinctive crossed stripes (now synonymous with the company as the "Tiger Stripes") were featured for the first time; martial artistBruce Lee helped popularize the shoe. Onitsuka Tiger merged with fishing and sporting goods company GTO and athletic uniform maker Jelenk to form Asics Corporation in 1977;[5] Onitsuka was named president of the new company. Despite the name change, a vintage range of Asics shoes are still produced and sold internationally under the Onitsuka Tiger label.[7] In 2015, Asics launched its "Asics Tiger"lifestyle brand to market sportswear inspired by the company's designs of the 1970s to 1990s.[8]
Asics bought the Swedishoutdoor brandHaglöfs for¥11.4 billion ($128.7 million) on July 12, 2010.[9] In February 2016, Asics acquired fitness appRunkeeper.[10][11] LionRock Capital Limited acquired a 100% interest in Haglöfs from Asics on December 18, 2023.[12]
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Asics generated¥570.4 billion innet sales and¥35.2 billion in net income in fiscal year 2023. 50% of the company's income came from the sale of performance running shoes, 33% from other shoes, 6% from apparel and equipment, and 11% from Onitsuka Tiger. 16% of the company's sales were in Japan, 21% in North America, 27% in Europe, 14% in China and 21% in other regions.[3]
In March 2021, Asics launchedUnoha (ウノハ), a brand geared towards women.[13] The brand mainly sells its products online and does not use physical locations other than temporary pop-ups that appear around Japan.[14] Apart from being a female focused clothing brand, Unoha has also pledged to use organic and environmentally friendly materials in its products. Unoha's first brand ambassador wasHarumi Sato.[15] On July 1, 2024, Asics announced that it had discontinued Unoha the previous month after only 3 years of existence.[16]
Nike, Inc. (originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports) was founded to sell Onitsuka Tiger shoes in the U.S. WhenPhil Knight visited Japan in 1963, shortly after he graduated fromStanford University, he was impressed by Onitsuka Tiger shoes and immediately visited the Onitsuka Tiger office and asked to be their sales agent in the U.S. After a number of years the relationship crumbled and both companies sued each other, with Nike retaining the naming rights to several shoes.[17]
Asics sponsors a variety of sports associations, teams and individuals; sponsorships includeWorld Athletics, theLos Angeles Marathon, as well as individual athletes such as volleyball playerRan Takahashi, footballerTakehiro Tomiyasu, and tennis playersNovak Djokovic,Alex de Minaur andJasmine Paolini.[18][19] The company announced on October 4, 2011, that it would be the new official kit manufacturer for theAustralian national cricket team, replacing German manufacturerAdidas.[20] Asics is also the official sportswear partner of theJapanese Olympic Committee.
In March 2017, employees assembling Asics products inCambodia fainted due to thick smoke present in the factory where they were working. The company responded to this by saying that it, along with the factory in question, would "address specific measures, with a focus on workers’ awareness and health and safety training, as well as including an improved air ventilation system".[21]
In March 2021, while several Western clothing brands expressed concern over allegations offorced Uyghur labor involved inXinjiang cotton production, Asics also announced that the Australian Olympic Team uniform would not contain cotton sourced from Xinjiang.[22]
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