SELECT 1 on 1: Ronnie Fieg Discusses his Asics Gel Lyte V “Volcano” & More

You’d be hard pressed to find too many individuals who have had more impact on the sneaker game over the past few years than Ronnie Fieg. Through his collaborative footwear endeavors, Ronnie has not only made a name for himself in the industry, but has also helped to influence a lot of the popular trends swirling through the market today. Whether it be his distinct methods of color-blocking or the choice materials he uses, it’s pretty safe to say that his successful sneaker design formulas have not gone unnoticed by brands and his collaborating peers alike.

That keen eye for detail and understanding of what the consumer wants is not something that developed overnight though. Ronnie has been at this for a while and has worked his way up through the business to get where he is today. He started working at a David Z. footwear location in Queens at the age of 15, and it didn’t take long before he climbed the ladder from the stockroom up to store manager and eventually became a buyer, at which point he got to work closely with David, himself, getting an education on all new angles of the shoe business along the way.

In 2007, the chance finally came his way to start fulfilling his dreams at the design table, as he whipped up five different colorways of the Asics Gel Lyte III for David Z. that were all met with quite the warm reception. At the time, Asics and its GL3 model were sort of lingering in obscurity within the sneakerhead world. While the brand and that model in particular had a small cult following at the time, it was Ronnie and David Z. that put it back in the spotlight and reminded everybody what a great shoe it was, eventually even restoring it back to its proper place in sneaker history as one of the most progressive and iconic designs ever.

From there, the fever only grew as Fieg helped create a slew of different Gel Lyte III colorways that seemed to gradually get more and more coveted by consumers with each new release. The

collaborative onslaught not only helped to thrust Asics back into collectible sneaker relevance, but established and solidified Ronnie’s name and reputation to a point where the stage was finally set for him to branch out on his own. In 2011, Ronnie Fieg opened his first Kith retail location, where he could not only focus on developing his own brand, but also venture out into apparel design in addition to the footwear collabs.

Kith now boasts two locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn and has partnered with a who’s who of brands like Sebago, New Balance, Timberland and Clarks to name a few. But at the root of it all was the foundation that Ronnie built with Asics – a relationship that has helped both sides to flourish and is constantly evolving through new collaborative projects. What all started with the Gel Lyte III model has eventually expanded into memorable versions of the GT-II and Gel Saga as well, but now as Asics begins to open their vaults and resurrect some of their other ’90s classics, it’s apparent that the sky is the limit for more enticing offerings to still come our way.

With the chance to work with one of his all-time favorite models, the Gel Lyte V, Ronnie pulled no punches in executing one of his most intricate and visually stunning creations to date. Dubbed the “Volcano”, Fieg brings the Gel Lyte V to life in a way that completely transcends its performance running roots into a luxurious lifestyle realm that fits it like a glove. We recently had a chance to catch up with Ronnie to get the story on his latest collab shoe straight from the source, as well as his thoughts on his relationship with Asics, the state of the collab game, and more. Continue on for the full interview and good luck trying to score a pair of the Volcano’s when they hit Kith in-store and online this Friday, October 25th.

Sneaker News:  There are a lot of people out there doing sneaker collaborations, but you’ve managed to separate yourself from the pack and establish your own brand name and devoted consumer fanbase. What do you think it is about your approach that has worked so well for you and your brand?

Ronnie Fieg:  I think it’s not comprising on quality and offering people more than what they pay for. That’s the motto, and that will always be the motto. Coming from a buyer’s background, it was always a responsibility for me to supply the market with what is missing. I want to help the consumer by offering things that people don’t necessarily know they want yet, but once things are presented to them they realize that it’s missing in their closet.

SN:  In addition to putting out appealing designs, you’ve also done an amazing job of promoting these projects. How crucial is it to introduce and showcase products the right way?

RF:  It’s 50% product and 50% presentation, especially because my name is behind the project. I want to make sure that people see the vision that I had when creating the project. They need to see how I envisioned the final product brought into a user’s standpoint. It’s about having it be seen the way I would want it to be worn.

It’s very important for the presentation to represent my vision with what I had and when I created the project. I always try and do the best job possible in the way I present product because I feel that the product deserves it. When you have product that’s produced with such high grade materials, the shoot and photos need to represent that and how premium the product actually is.

SN:  Most of your sneaker collabs have been tagged with internally designated nicknames. How important is a good nickname when it comes to making a shoe more memorable and desirable to consumers?

RF:  Honestly that plays much less of a part than most people think. The name has always been the last thing on my mind. It’s always the product I’m looking to sell, not the name and not any decorative part of the shoe that comes post creation. I like to make it fun and it makes the shoe more memorable years from now. A nickname is important in terms of giving it something to be remembered by.

SN:  Your longtime relationship with Asics has been very beneficial for both parties. Is it rewarding to see how popular the brand has become, knowing that you helped to play a big part in their current resurgence?

RF:  Yeah I love that. I love seeing the brand win. I have the brand’s interest at heart at all times and seeing my fellow peers work on collaborative efforts really justifies work that I’ve done since 2006.

SN:  What drew you to the Gel Lyte V for a collab project?

RF:  I don’t like to pick favorites, but if I did I think the Gel Lyte V is my favorite ASICS silhouette right up there with the Gel Lyte III. Even though this is a tech retro silhouette, it can release today and still be relevant as a new shoe.

SN:  We can figure out the inspiration behind your latest Asics design from its name, but is there a deeper story or meaning that led you to create a Volcano shoe?

RF:  The Volcano was originally set to represent the state of Kith in it’s second year of exploding. We were seeing major growth in our second year in business and we’re hitting regions of the world that I didn’t plan on reaching until my 4th or 5th year. Volcanos erupt erratically and I feel like Kith had a very large amount of growth in a short period of time. So I think the theme really matched up.

SN:  Please give us a quick breakdown of the materials used on the Volcano.

RF:  There’s nubuck, sport mesh, 3M, pigskin and neoprene. As far as materials, it is the most important part of what I do. The color blocking for the shoe is very different from how I approach color blocking on the Gel Lyte III. The way the shoe is pieced together allows for very creative color blocking, especially with the wavy overlay on the eyestay which runs to the heel is executed in a bright red pigskin to really break up the shoe. The contrast between colors is what makes the shoe so unique. If you were to list on paper: Navy, Pink, Off-White, Red, Orange and Burgundy it wouldn’t look appealing at all, but when these colors come together it all makes sense.

The biggest debate is always deciding between a mesh toe or a perforated pigskin toe, which has been my go to since the beginning. The original sample of the shoe had a perforated pigskin vamp, which was amazing, and I was torn between the two but I’m happy with the decision I made on the final product.

SN:  Where do you think the Volcano ranks amongst all your other Asics collaborations?

RF:  It’s my personal favorite to date, and that makes total sense because I want to continue to get better…

SN:  At this point, you’re a veteran when it comes to working with the Gel Lyte III, Saga and GT-II. Was it refreshing to get your hands on a new model, and are you excited about Asics opening up their archives to bring back some other classic silhouettes?

RF:  It’s always fun to work on new silhouettes, seeing something new from the ASICS archive unlocks nostalgic memories from my childhood.

SN:  Do you feel like sneaker brands are going overboard with the collaborations these days and relying on them too much? Has as the market now become too over-saturated with collaborations or are they still just as impactful as long as they’re done well?

RF:  Sneaker collaborations have gotten out of hand. I do believe the market is getting watered down, but that’s good for what Kith and myself do because only the strong survive and the best will prevail.

SN:  It’s safe to say that you have plenty of other juicy projects in the pipeline. Can you give us any hints about what else may be on the way from Ronnie Fieg and Kith?

RF:  You can always expect me to push the envelope and create product that will be different from anything you see in the market place. I don’t want to ruin the element of surprise.

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A huge thanks to Ronnie and the Kith crew for taking the time, and be prepared for the “Volcano” Gel Lyte V to hit Kith in-store and online this Friday, October 25th. Click here for full release info.

Photography by Tyler Mansour