Native name | 株式会社アシックス |
---|---|
Romanized name | Kabushiki gaisha Ashikkusu |
Company type | Public (K.K) |
TYO: 7936 | |
Industry | Sports equipment, textile |
Founded |
|
Founder | Kihachiro Onitsuka |
Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | ≈ 1,900 outlet stores worldwide (2017) [1] |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Motoi Oyama (Chairman and CEO) [2] |
Products | Trainers, clothing |
Brands |
|
Revenue | ¥570.4 billion (2023) |
¥54.2 billion (2023) | |
¥35.2 billion (2023) | |
Number of employees | ≈ 8,900 (2023) |
Subsidiaries |
|
Website | www |
Footnotes /references [3] |
ASICS Corporation [lower-alpha 1] , [4] commonly known as Asics, is a Japanese multinational corporation that produces sportswear. The name is an acronym for the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano (translated by Asics as "a sound mind, in a sound body"). Asics is best known for its sneakers, but also produces other footwear such as sandals, as well as clothing (T-shirts, jackets, hoodies, swimwear, compression garments, leggings, socks) and accessories (bags, backpacks, caps). It is headquartered in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
Asics began as Onitsuka Co., Ltd on September 1, 1949. [4] Founder Kihachiro Onitsuka began manufacturing basketball shoes in his hometown of Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. The range of sports activities serviced by the company expanded to a variety of Olympic styles used since the 1950s by athletes worldwide. Onitsuka became particularly known for the Mexico 66 design, [5] in which the distinctive crossed stripes (now synonymous with the company) were featured for the first time; martial artist Bruce Lee helped popularize the shoe. Onitsuka Tiger merged with fishing and sporting goods company GTO and athletic uniform maker Jelenk to form Asics Corporation in 1977; [4] Onitsuka was named president of the new company. Despite the name change, a vintage range of Asics shoes are still produced and sold internationally under the Onitsuka Tiger label. [6] In 2015, Asics launched its "Asics Tiger" lifestyle brand to market sportswear inspired by the company's designs of the 1970s to 1990s. [7]
Asics bought the Swedish outdoor brand Haglöfs for ¥11.4 billion ($128.7 million) on July 12, 2010. [8] In February 2016, Asics acquired fitness app Runkeeper. [9] [10]
Asics generated ¥570.4 billion in net sales and ¥35.2 billion in net income in fiscal year 2023. 50% of the company's income came from the sale of performance running shoes, 33% from other shoes, 6% from apparel and equipment, and 11% from Onitsuka Tiger. 16% of the company's sales were in Japan, 21% in North America, 27% in Europe, 14% in China and 21% in other regions. [3]
In 2021, Asics launched Unoha (ウノハ), a brand geared towards women. The brand mainly sells its products online and does not use physical locations other than temporary pop-ups that appear around Japan. [11] Apart from being a female focused clothing brand, Unoha has also pledged to use organic and environmentally friendly materials in its products. Unoha's first brand ambassador was Harumi Sato. [12]
LionRock Capital Limited acquired a 100% interest in Haglöfs from Asics on December 18, 2023. [13]
Nike, Inc. (originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports) was founded to sell Onitsuka Tiger shoes in the US. When Phil Knight visited Japan in 1963, shortly after he graduated from Stanford University, he was impressed by Onitsuka Tiger shoes and immediately visited the Onitsuka Tiger office and asked to be their sales agent in the US. After a number of years the relationship crumbled and both companies sued each other, with Nike retaining the naming rights to several shoes. [14]
Asics sponsors a variety of sports associations, teams and individuals; sponsorships include World Athletics and the Los Angeles Marathon. [15] [16] The company announced on October 4, 2011, that it would be the new official kit manufacturer for the Australian Cricket Team, replacing German manufacturer Adidas. [17]
In March 2017, employees assembling Asics products in Cambodia fainted due to thick smoke present in the factory where they were working. The company responded to this by saying that it, along with the factory in question, would "address specific measures, with a focus on workers’ awareness and health and safety training, as well as including an improved air ventilation system". [18]
In March 2021, while several Western clothing brands expressed concern over allegations of forced Uyghur labor involved in Xinjiang cotton production, Asics also announced that the Australian Olympic Team uniform would not contain cotton sourced from Xinjiang. [19]
Adidas AG is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which also owns an 8.33% stake of the football club Bayern München, and Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company. Adidas's revenue for 2018 was listed at €21.915 billion.
Sneakers (US) or trainers (UK), also known by a wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but which are also widely used for everyday casual wear.
Puma SE is a German multinational corporation who design and manufacture athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. Puma is the third largest sportswear manufacturer in the world. The company was founded in 1948 by Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974). In 1924, Rudolf and his brother Adolf "Adi" Dassler had jointly formed the company Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik. The relationship between the two brothers deteriorated until they agreed to split in 1948, forming two separate entities, Adidas and Puma. Following the split, Rudolf originally registered the newly established company as Ruda, but later changed the name to Puma. Puma's earliest logo consisted of a square and beast jumping through a D, which was registered, along with the company's name, in 1948. Puma's shoe and clothing designs feature the Puma logo and the distinctive "Formstrip" which was introduced in 1958.
The Swoosh is the logo of American sportswear designer and retailer Nike. Today, it has become one of the most recognizable brand logos in the world, and the most valuable, having a worth of $26 billion alone.
Skechers USA, Inc. is an American multinational footwear and apparel company. Headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, it was founded in 1992 and is the third largest footwear brand in the United States.
Mizuno Corporation is a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, founded in Osaka in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno. Today, Mizuno is a global corporation which makes a wide variety of sports equipment and sportswear for table tennis, badminton, golf, baseball, mixed martial arts, association football, gridiron football, futsal, judo, rugby, running, skiing, athletics, swimming, tennis, handball and volleyball.
Fila is a South Korean-owned athleisure brand headquartered in Seoul. The company was originally founded by Ettore and Giansevero Fila in 1911 in Coggiola, near Biella, Italy. Fila Korea acquired the brand in 2007 and launched its initial public offering (IPO) on the Korea Exchange in September 2010.
Haglöfs AB is an outdoor equipment brand founded in 1914 in Sweden by Wiktor Haglöf.
Reebok International Limited is an American fitness footwear and clothing brand that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company which had been founded in 1895 in Bolton, Lancashire. From 1958 until 1986, the brand featured the flag of the United Kingdom in its logo to signify the origins of the company. It was bought by German sporting goods company Adidas in 2005, then sold to the United States-based Authentic Brands Group in 2021. The company's global headquarters are located in Boston, Massachusetts, in the Seaport District.
The following is a timeline of notable events in the history of Nike, Inc.
Onitsuka Tiger is a Japanese sports fashion brand started in 1949 by Onitsuka Shōkai, a sports shoes company founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka. Onitsuka Shōkai changed its name to Onitsuka Co., Ltd. before becoming Asics Corporation in 1977. Since 1977, Onitsuka Tiger has been sold as a lifestyle brand of Asics.
Nike, Inc. is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, United States. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of US$46 billion in its fiscal year 2022.
Nike By You is a service provided by Nike allowing customers to personalize and design their own Nike merchandise, most specifically footwear but also sportswear. They offer online services as well as physical studios in different countries around the world, including: United Kingdom, Italy, France, Japan, Spain, Germany, China, USA, Canada and Australia.
Anta Sports Products Limited is a Chinese sports equipment multinational corporation headquartered in Jinjiang, China. It is the world's largest sports equipment company by revenue and third-largest manufacturer of sporting goods overall, behind Nike and Adidas.
The Nike Cortez is the first track shoe released by Nike in 1972, and is therefore thought to be a significant aspect to the success of the company. The Nike Cortez was first designed by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, aiming to produce a comfortable and durable running shoe for distance training and road running. The Nike Cortez was released at the peak of the 1972 Summer Olympics, and quickly gained interest by the general public. The shoe previously known as the Onitsuka Tiger Cortez was later renamed to the Onitsuka Tiger Corsair after Nike won a court battle to continue using name in 1974.
Signia is an Argentine sportswear brand which manufactures footwear and clothing. The brand has experienced some restructuring plans in the past due to financial problems, even disappearing from the market for some periods of time. Signia has also sponsored some Primera División football teams in Argentina, mostly at the beginning of the 2000s.
On Holding AG is an athletic shoe and performance sportswear company originating in Switzerland that designs and markets sports clothing and running shoes.
Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 is a line of shoes released by Onitsuka Tiger in 1966. The shoe was first developed to be used by athletes for the 1968 Summer Olympics. This is the first shoe to use the trademark stripes that would be featured in Onitsuka Tiger and Asics shoes.
Onitsuka Tiger Corsair is a shoe that was designed under Onitsuka Tiger and released in 1968. The Onitsuka Tiger Corsair was first designed by Bill Bowerman while still in a partnership agreement with Onitsuka Tiger. Shortly after its release, Bill Bowerman decided to part ways with the company and focus on developing original shoes for their own company, Nike, which led to them releasing their own version of the same shoe called the Nike Cortez.
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