Asics
ASICS Corporation · Japan
Asics is a Japanese sportswear company based in Kobe, best known for its performance running shoes and the heritage label Onitsuka Tiger. It traces its roots to the company Kihachiro Onitsuka founded in 1949 and took its current form through a merger in 1977.
| Founded | 1949 (as Onitsuka); ASICS since 1977 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Kihachiro Onitsuka |
| Owner | ASICS Corporation (Tokyo-listed) |
| Headquarters | Kobe, Japan |
| Net sales | 570.4 billion yen (2023) |
| Brands | ASICS, Onitsuka Tiger |
| Website | asics.com |
What is Asics?
ASICS Corporation designs and sells athletic footwear, apparel and accessories, with performance running shoes making up around half of its income. Its second brand, Onitsuka Tiger, focuses on fashion and lifestyle. The company is listed in Tokyo and reported net sales of 570.4 billion yen in 2023. It had 9,455 consolidated employees as of June 2025.
History
Kihachiro Onitsuka started making basketball shoes in Kobe in 1949. Onitsuka Tiger shoes became known internationally, and in the 1960s Phil Knight's Blue Ribbon Sports, the predecessor of Nike, distributed them in the United States. In 1977 Onitsuka merged with GTO and Jelenk to form ASICS, with Onitsuka as president. The name is an acronym of the Latin anima sana in corpore sano, which the company translates as "a sound mind in a sound body". Asics owned the Swedish outdoor brand Haglöfs from 2010 to 2023. The Mexico 66 design with its characteristic Tiger Stripes remains closely associated with the Onitsuka Tiger label.
Products and positioning
- Running shoes such as the Gel-Kayano and Gel-Cumulus
- Footwear for court and team sports
- Sportstyle sneakers inspired by archive models
- Onitsuka Tiger, including the Mexico 66
Onitsuka Tiger, which accounts for roughly 11 per cent of income, is aimed at fashion and lifestyle customers.
Business model and distribution
Asics sells through specialist running stores and other wholesale partners, its own stores and e-commerce. In 2023 Europe was its largest region with 27 per cent of sales, followed by North America with 21 per cent and Japan with 16 per cent.
Why it matters
Asics is one of the leading brands in performance running and a key supplier to specialist retailers worldwide. Its success with archive designs and Onitsuka Tiger shows how a technical brand can extend into fashion while keeping credibility with athletes.
Frequently asked questions
What does ASICS stand for?
ASICS is an acronym of the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano. The company translates it as "a sound mind in a sound body".
Is Onitsuka Tiger the same as Asics?
Onitsuka Tiger is a brand owned by ASICS Corporation. It carries the name of the company founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka in 1949, which merged with two other firms in 1977 to form ASICS.
