Depending on where you are in the world, summer nights are beginning to fade, giving way to the sort of dark mornings that make the snooze button all too easy. Allow ASICS and French running-boutique-cum-cultural-platform DISTANCE to inject some much-needed colour into proceedings, courtesy of a new capsule collection that includes a vibrant NOVABLAST 6.
Anyone who knows anything about distance running can tell you that Kenya is the crucible of the pursuit. More specifically, the small town of Iten has become such a magnet for elite marathon runners that it's earned the nickname 'City of Champions', serving as the de facto global capital of marathon excellence. Appropriately, DISTANCE opened its own outpost there in 2022.
The latest ASICS collaboration pays homage to the endurance mecca with a flamboyant performance apparel capsule, rounded out by a matching NOVABLAST 6. Inspired by Iten’s distinctive red earth, cloudless skies, and brightly painted houses, the shoe’s palette explodes with sky blue and pink, ideal for early mornings that feel like entering perpetual darkness.
On the technical side, FF BLAST MAX foam ensconces an FF TURBO SQUARED trampoline pod, providing a spongy bounce.
For DISTANCE co-founder Guillaume Pontier, the project is especially personal. His father, Jean-François 'Jef' Pontier, spent decades coaching elite French distance runners, with trips to Iten introducing Guillaume to the town and its community long before DISTANCE established a permanent presence there.
'Iten is much more than an inspiration board for us,' says Pontier. 'It is a place built on relationships, generosity and a deep, everyday commitment to running. Through my father, our store and the people who welcomed us, it has become part of the DISTANCE story.'
ASICS' Head of Design, Alistair Keys, adds: 'We wanted the collection to carry that sense of energy and connection of the local community into every color, texture and combination and apply it to some of our most advanced performance apparel pieces.'
For more from DISTANCE, check out our interview with co-founder Guillaume Pontier.
