Model: Sneakerlah x Hundred% x Asics Gel Lyte III
Price: RM699 (S$216)
Drop date: December 4 (online raffle)
Buy here: Sneakerlah.com | Hundred% | Asics.com
Sneakerlah and Hundred% join forces once again to represent Malaysia with an Asics Gel Lyte III collab. For their third Asics collab, the duo reference the nation’s unofficial national drink, teh tarik (pulled tea) – a beverage consumed by Malaysians on a daily basis. Bryan Chin, founder of Sneakerlah, tells Straatosphere, “It’s an idea I had since the released of the Gel-Kayano 5 OG Nasi Lemak in 2019, a lot of people were saying ‘we need to have a teh tarik pair to go with my nasi lemak’ – that’s how the idea came to me.”
The collaboration is subtle, especially when placed next to the KLCC Twin Towers-inspired pair from 2020. The new Gel Lyte III sports a mismatched combination of caramel, dark orange and brown, creating a look that’s reminiscent of classic workwear boots.
Other nods to Malaysian coffeeshops are dotted around the sneaker. Pink pull tabs and laces reference the plastic bags that are used to drink teh tarik on-the-go while ring stains from coffee shop glasses can be found on the insole. Flip the sneaker over and the transparent outsole reveals a checkered print commonly found on Malaysian coffee shop tables.
A lux combination of suedes and leather line the uppers of the sneaker. Most of the exterior is covered in fuzzy suede except for the lateral sides of the sneaker, which has a velcro patch for the detachable Asics vector logos. Leather is used on the sockliner and appears again on the heel tab.
A special rendition of the Asics logo was created for the collaboration. One of the removable patches is a golden vector with a dripping effect, which for Bryan was a key part of the design. “We wanted to show a drippy effect to convey the teh tarik-ness, so we tried messing around with the tiger stripe. At first Asics was not so keen because the tiger stripe is a very important part of the Asics identity. I want to shout out two guys from Asics in Singapore, namely Boon Hwa and E Fong for really helping us fight for the drippy tiger stripe and also guiding us through this project.”
The Sneakerlah x Hundred% x Asics Gel Lyte III is made for Malaysians and will drop exclusively in Malaysia. As Bryan explained, “Our allocation in Malaysia sells out quickly, but the shoe doesn’t sell well overseas. Just something we’ve learned from previous releases – people overseas can’t relate to the concept. So this time round, we want the release to really cater to the local market and have enough pairs for the people who really resonate with it.” But Bryan reassures that international shipping is available for the sneakers sold through the raffles on Sneakerlah.com and Hundred%. That means you can get your teh tarik anywhere in the world!