ASICS has unveiled a line of sneakers featuring repurposed vehicle airbag fabric, securing a Good Design Award for its innovative approach to sustainable footwear. This project is a milestone in material reuse, merging durability, design, and sustainability in a way that appeals to environmentally conscious designers and consumers alike.

The ASICS GEL-SONOMA™ 15-50 sneaker, the winning design, incorporates high-strength airbag fabric developed by Toyoda Gosei, a leading supplier of automotive components. This fabric, typically discarded when airbags reach the end of their lifecycle, offers notable durability and impact resistance—qualities essential in both automotive and footwear applications. Toyoda Gosei’s expertise in creating resilient materials for airbags has made this collaboration with ASICS a success, aligning with both brands’ goals to reduce their environmental footprint and meet the rising demand for sustainable products.

Durable Design Meets Aesthetic Appeal
The sneaker design features a modern aesthetic with visible stitching and rugged textures that reflect its industrial origins. ASICS’ choice to retain elements of the airbag fabric’s original form highlights an authentic approach to material reuse, making the footwear visually distinctive. Notably, the sneakers maintain ASICS’ standards for comfort, resilience, and flexibility, ensuring they meet the expectations of both athletes and fashion-forward consumers.

For product and fashion designers, ASICS’ approach underscores the potential of integrating recycled industrial materials into consumer goods without sacrificing visual appeal or functionality. The design’s raw, utilitarian look is a reminder that sustainable products can embrace an aesthetic that tells the story of the material’s original purpose.

Sustainability and Circularity
This initiative is a step forward in circular design, which aims to reduce waste by reusing high-quality materials from other industries. By upcycling airbag fabric from Toyoda Gosei, ASICS is not only diverting waste from landfills but also reducing the need for virgin materials. This circular approach benefits the environment by extending the lifecycle of materials and decreasing the sneaker’s carbon footprint.

For designers committed to sustainable practices, this project demonstrates how circularity can be achieved through innovative sourcing and material selection. Repurposing airbags—a product designed for safety and resilience—into footwear also encourages a cross-industry approach to sustainability, where waste from one sector can become valuable input for another.

Key Features of the GEL-SONOMA™ 15-50
The sneaker’s integration of airbag fabric showcases ASICS’ commitment to sustainability and material innovation. The upcycled fabric not only adds a unique texture and visual appeal but also aligns with circular economy principles by reducing dependency on new resources. Despite the industrial origins of the material, the sneakers retain ASICS’ hallmark comfort and performance, proving that sustainable materials can support high-performance needs.

Inspiration for Other Design Disciplines
The successful use of airbag fabric in footwear has broader implications for design disciplines beyond fashion. Interior designers, for example, might see potential in repurposing airbag fabric for upholstery, providing a durable material with a unique visual texture. Automotive designers may consider incorporating recycled components in future car interiors, aligning with sustainability goals in vehicle manufacturing.

The ASICS GEL-SONOMA™ 15-50 sneaker is a model of how innovative material reuse can meet both design and sustainability goals, serving as an inspiration for designers to explore cross-industry materials that can extend the lifecycle of valuable resources.

Source: ASICS, Green Car Reports, Yanko Design
Photos: ASICS