At Milan Design Week 2026, where design disciplines collide and evolve in real time, ASICS SportStyle makes a big entrance. The brand held ASICS Kinetic Playscape, an immersive installation that reframes how sneakers can be introduced, understood and ultimately experienced.
Set within Garage 21 and open to the public from 22-24 April, the Playscape marks the brand’s first consumer-facing activation in Italy. More importantly, it signals a shift in approach. ASICS decided to build an environment where movement, design and emotion all come together in one continuous system.
Anima Sana In Corpore Sano: Philosophy as Physicsl Space
Everything begins with the phrase that defined ASICS since its founding, Anima Sana In Corpore Sano, “a sound mind in a sound body.” The Playscape translates that philosophy into spatial and experimental. Devloped by NUOVA, the installation takes shape as a fictional ASICS research institute. It’s a setting that blends retro-futurist with a contemporary design language.
The journey unfolds slowly across five distinct rooms, each representing a different state of being. It begins with a grounded, almost weighty environment that emphasises texture and physical presence, before slowly opening into a lighter, more abstract spaces that focuses on motion and release.
The GEL-KINETIC 2.0 Innovation in Motion
At the heart of this installation is the GEL-KINETIC 2.0 sneaker, it is positioned as a key element into a broader narrative of movement. Designed and tested at the ASICS Institute of Sport Science in Kobe, Japan, the silhouette takes inspiration from the brand’s early-2000s running archive, specifically models like the GEL-KINETIC 4 and GEL-TORNADO series.
Technically, the silhouette adds a number of advancements. Scutoid GEL technology forms the foundation of its cushioning system, engineered to absorb heavy impact while still maintaining responsiveness. Surrounding this sits a TPU support cage that provides structural stability.
Multi-sensory Approach to Design
What sets the Kinetic Playscape aparf is the attention to details contributing to the overall experience. Uniforms worn bt the staff are designed by SOSHIOTSUKI, a brand known for its precise tailoring and conceptual approach to menswear.
Sound plays an important role as well. Curated by Mateo Garcia, the audio landscape is made to influence how visitors move and feel within the space. His approach, rooted in the relationship between sound, energy and body, adds another layer to the overall experience.
