THE LOST AND FOUND

Not many people know how much credit Onitsuka Tiger/Asics deserves. The video above conveys some of that message but did you know that Nike began as basically just a distributor of Asics footwear? To be fair, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman (the founders of Nike (originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports)) did always have the goal of having their own company in mind, but they had to work their way up by working within Asics. The iconic Nike Cortez model, for example, was originally released by Asics. Phil Knight worked closely with the company for almost 10 years (starting in 1963) before he finally broke all business ties with them in 1972.

Isn’t it amazing how much influence Japan has on your life without you even knowing it? They basically changed the fashion landscape over here (think Pharrell Williams, etc.) and paved the way for most of the technological innovation we now enjoy. North America did give them hip hop though and they seem to be pretty thankful for that. A fair trade-off all around, I suppose.

- Jesse