ASICS, founded in 1949 in Kobe, Japan, by Kihachiro Onitsuka, is a footwear and sporting goods company, initially known only as Onitsuka Tiger and producing only basketball shoes. Today it produces footwear for basketball, soccer, tennis, martial arts, cricket, golf, wrestling, athletics, cross-training, volleyball, and many other sports.
On 21 July 1977, the company Onitsuka Co. Ltd. merges with the GTO and JELENK, forming the ASICS Corporation. The name of the company is the acronym of the Latin phrase "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano", a variant of the Latin phrase "Mens sana in corpore sano". ASICS shoes were introduced in the United States in 1977 with the Tiger brand and then commercialized in the name of Onitsuka Tiger, its original name, for the line intended for the casual market.
The Asics brand, on the other hand, has been maintained and developed for all products intended for sport, in particular the world of running, in which Asics stands at the top of the best-selling and appreciated products by professionals. In recent seasons, with the spread of silouette running in the fashion world, Asics has expanded its range for this sector, with great success, and has created collaborations that have generated enthusiasm, such as that with Ronnie Fieg, sold in stores of the most exclusive fashion and sneakers in the world.