St. Patrick’s Day is all about green, but for one lucky person, March 17th will be a blue day.  Blue as in cool, not sad, cos you better believe whomever Ronnie Fieg blesses with this 1 of 1 Asics GT-II sample — that person’s (Irish) eyes will be smiling.  It’s a mystery why these beautiful blue nubuck kicks aren’t making it to retail, but that means that not only are they stunning, but the Fieg-follower who gets these will have a significant collector’s item.  To enter, just follow @Ronniefieg on Twitter, then tweet “Follow @Ronniefieg to win a 1 of 1 exclusive Asics GT-II Sample set.”

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Over the years, the Asics Gel Lyte III has become the Onitsuka Tiger’s most popular design.  It’s dropped in a multitude of satisfying colourways, and the signature split tongue is ‘off’ just enough to get you some legit tips of the cap.  With these pairs, it’d be more like, “Oooh, gurrrl!”, as both are specifically for ladies.  Each has a bright and colourful palette, with one particularly Paas-looking pair just in time.  Grab one or both of them today from Finish Line.

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Reebok’s Top Down is probably the most widely seen fold-down hightop to date.  They might have started a full fledged trend, cos here’s a new look from Asics that reminds us of a Puma Urban Vistech Linen from early this month.  The Onitsuka tiger Kamogutsu share’s the Puma’s sense of floppiness with its cloth ankle that can be folded down to reveal an accent colour on the lining.  Despite the obvious similarity, these are very unique, their suede and textile uppers one of the few examples of appropriately-placed pinstriping on a sneaker.  Check your local Asics retailer, they just arrived at Japan’s ripe.

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As sneaker culture has ‘matured’ in recent years, one of the resultant themes has been monochromatic colourups. Both of these new Asics Gel Lyte IIIs are done in a single shade for their uppers. But as is the case with most of the ones we’ve seen, these are anything but boring thanks to premium materials on a classic silhouette. You might even be able to sneak the all brown or all black pairs into the club, thanks to their white soles. Pre-order either or both from CrookedTongues today.

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Who knew Bruce Lee would have any sort of influence on…sneakers? We all know Bruce Lee wore the yellow and black colourway of the Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 during Game of Death, but the Bruce Lee Nike Zoom Kobe V came straight outta left field. We also saw the same colourway in the Big Nike High from the Kill Bill x Nike Pack (we also know Game of Death inspired that movie series as well). Black and yellow is killing it right now, so here’s your chance to own the legendary pair; the suede and leather upper means comfort and quality when you’re strolling down the street or fighting some dude twice your height. Grab yours from Schuh-You.

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A lot of shoeheads like to store their kicks in interesting ways. Under the bed, in the closet, a glass display case, or the ever popular Ikea Expedit shelf are some ways we like to keep or heat fresh. If you’re still in the market for a shoe cabinet, here’s a…shoe cabinet. Literally. Two Japanese born ideas, the Onitsuka Tiger and Tansu cabinet artistry, have combined to form the Onitsuka Tiger Tansu trainer, a giant shoe-shaped cabinet. This great piece of artwork is part of the “Hidden Tiger” campaign that is aiming to push forward Japanese culture and history worldwide. What better than Onitsuka Tiger and traditional Tansu craftsmanship and design to exemplify all-things-Japanese? via HighSnobiety.

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The latest Asics Gel Lyte Speed reminds you why we have more than a couple of brands here on Sneaker News.  Their new Directional Level premium drops were building some momentum, but this white-hot Lyte Speed release makes us think there really is something to this Year of the Tiger thing.

The colourway is just amazing, mixing mint green and infrared like it’s nothing thanks to a mostly black and grey upper and a speckled midsole.  Since Parra is probably the closest thing that comes to mind when scoping these out for the first time, it’s only right that they popped up first at Holland’s Woei.  via SF

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Another trade show preview; the Bright Show, to be exact.  Asics is pretty much nothing but old-people running shoes to sneakerheads in the US.  But elsewhere, specifically Europe, all trainers and runners fancy the eye of aficionados.  It’s not surprise, really, when you see designs like this.  No over the top graphics, no off-beat concepts.  Just strong color-blocking and quality material.  Good enough.  Take a look at some Asics samples set to drop for the Fall and Winter seasons.  via HS

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Asics is getting ready to gear you up for the upcoming Spring/Summer season. Peep these clean and refreshing colourways of the Asics GT-II and the Asics Aaron MT CV. Of the new GT-II colourways are grey/purple, tan/blue/brown, and a olive green/orange, similar to the Mango Nike Air Stab from 2005. The Asics Aaron goes mid-top with the ever-so-casual vulcanized sole, and features an upper material similar to a burlap sac. These casual/lifestyle kicks will be available at Asics retailers in July. via Hypebeast.

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There are a bunch of cool sneakers for the Year of the Tiger that begins on February 14, 2010, but what about the odd (animal) out on that 12 year cycle?  Legend has it, the cat came in last in the Jade Emperor’s race after the rat pushed him into a river, and that’s why they’ve been enemies ever since.  Asics got together with a couple of Japanese stylemakers to make sure cat gets his due.

Enter the Asics x StudioAnti and Washio Tomoyuki ‘Cat Pack’.  It’s a straightforward name that pretty well matches StudioAnti’s simple tonal brown pair of X-Caliber runners, while the Tomoyuki-designed white pair has a lively sketching drawn over the entire silhouette.  These should be out at select European boutiques before year’s end, so check the jump below for a list of retailers.  via SF

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Onitsuka Tiger is keeping it in the feral family in this latest duet of Onitsuka Tiger X-Calibers. In a collaboration with StudioAnti and Washio Tomoyuki, Onitsuka Tiger has released the Cat Collection, consisting of the X-Calibers designed by the two creative minds. The first pair acted as a blank canvas for Washio Tomoyuki, as he depicted a world in which humans are the small creatures in a world dominated by felines. The second design, done by Studio Anti, is a lot grittier and down-to-earth with a primarily grey colourway. On the heel you can see a laceration graphic to top off the Cat Collection. Both pairs will be available at select Onitsuka Tiger retailers later this month. via HighSnobiety.

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Here’s a look at one of the latest colourways of the Asics Gel Lyte III. We don’t need to tell you that these look alarmingly like a Livestrong colourway, but there are no apparent ties between Asics and Lance Armstrong’s Nike line; nonetheless, the color combo is still fresh. Forgetting about the colourway and the resemblance to Livestrong, these are still primarily a pair of Asics Gel Lyte III. The customary split tongue, mesh toe, leather upper, and Gel cushioning are what make these so great…the colourway is just an added bonus. Grab your pair from German footwear retailer Schuh-You.

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Asics has a new pack of GT-II retro runners available just in time for the holiday season.  Both of them are bright and festive in their own ways, but you wouldn’t confuse these for Christmas sneakers.  Instead, we get two slimmed down versions of the GT-II that are lifestyle friendly both in fit and the potential to match a wide variety of looks.  One lays black nubuck atop bright blue nylon with just a touch of pink peeking through from the sockliner, while another pair goes for a sort of aged CMYK look with a white midsole.  Both are available from mita sneakers.

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As part of their premium line-up of shoes titled the Directional Level, Asics has introduced the Holiday 2009 Surface Pack, which includes two exciting colourways of their two-decade old Gel Lyte Speed, as previewed on Sneakernews just three months ago. Could it be a coincidence that these two particular colourways are being released around the Christmas holiday season? The green variety features a brown-splattered  midsole and shoelaces, while the grey colourway takes an equally bold route with the candy-cane like graphic on its respective midsole. Whether or not these colourways had anything to do with the holiday season is up for interpretation, but needless to say the Asics Directional Level is headed in the right path.

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Asics has produced some nice colourways of the Gel Lyte III for our female sneakerhead counterparts. The first brown/beige colourway offers grounding color tones but has hints of contrasting infrared on the rear midsole and lace-holes. Contrast seems to be a key theme as a combination of earthy suede and premium leather are used to construct the uppers of the shoes. The black-grey-blue colorway uses similar materials as well. Other commonalities lie within the pebble-like pattern of the center portion of the midsole and visible netting on the heel and center panel. Both the brown-beige and black-grey-blue colourway are available for purchase at Mita, but you’d better step your Japanese game up.

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Few companies understand that runners keep going in cold weather better than Asics.  Since you won’t actually be running in this retro model, it’s best that they at least look warm. Woolen panels give the Asics GT-IITweed Pack a rustic look, with one pair adding green and purple to a black/grey base and another opting for a slightly Halloweeny colour palette.  Both are available today from TheGoodWillOut.

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