One of fashion’s favorite sneaker brands is hoping to encourage more people to get their 10,000 steps in. Best known for its high-performance running shoes, this month, Asics is launching a new range of walking shoes in the hopes of driving global sales.
On top of its sports offering, the Japanese company has managed to establish a strong standing in the fashion market through long-term partnerships with designers including Kiko Kostadinov and Cecile Bahnsen. Now, this week in Tokyo, the brand will roll out its Asics Walking line — previously only available in Japan, since launching in 1983 — to the global market with the Moon Amble, a new flagship range of squishy-soled shoes marketed for everyday walking.
“We’re intending to use the launch of the Moon Amble as an opportunity to roll out the [walking] business globally,” Asics Corp. CEO Yasuhito Hirota tells Vogue Business.
Beginning online with the Greater China region (including Mainland China and Hong Kong) at the end of September, the plan is to gradually expand the business worldwide. “The Asics Walking brand is already deeply established in Japan’s domestic market, so we want to further expand this business and take it to the global stage.”
Why now?
Since launching its first dedicated walking shoe, the Pedala, Asics Walking now has 48 dedicated stores throughout Japan. But the range has remained entirely exclusive to the domestic market until now. Why, 43 years after the line launched, is it the right time to go abroad?
“Our top priority was first to firmly establish the Asics brand in markets around the world,” says Hirota. “Having now successfully achieved that solid footing, we believe we have reached the right time to expand our walking business as well.
We’re ready to enter this new phase.” The CEO points to the Asics Walking store on the ground floor of the Imperial Hotel Tokyo that offers tax-free shopping, which he’s been observing closely in recent months to test the response from tourists. “It’s proven to be popular with international visitors, so seeing this has given us confidence in our ability to expand it abroad,” he adds.
Asics Walking is already a huge success in Japan. The brand projects net sales of JPY 15.8 billion ($100 million) for fiscal 2026, having reached JPY 8.6 billion ($54.4 million) in sales as of the end of Q2, according to Asics.
Hirota believes the interest in walking boomed after the pandemic, and its uptake will continue as people look to accessible ways to stay healthy. “Running is, of course, beneficial, but it does carry certain risks… it isn’t something everyone can simply jump into, because it often requires a level of conditioning,” he explains.
“Walking, on the other hand, is accessible to everyone.”
In order to further discern the line’s global potential, Asics Walking also debuted at Italian men’s trade show Pitti Uomo during the FW26 and SS27 seasons, which drew a “very positive” response from buyers and journalists. At Pitti, the line’s Runwalk leather dress shoes, popular with Japanese salarymen, were also on display — though the date of their rollout is yet to be announced.
“We wanted to find a venue where people would look at the shoes from a design perspective, beyond just their functional aspects, and provide feedback, which is why we felt Pitti was the perfect place,” says Hidetoshi Muraoka, senior general manager of the brand’s walking division. “The idea was to present the prototype there and gather feedback, like insights into the design approach, for instance, and advice on what kind of outfits the shoes would pair well with.”
Slow and steady wins the race
First founded by Kihachiro Onitsuka in 1976, Asics Corp. is headquartered in Kobe, Japan, and owns the successful lifestyle sneaker label Onitsuka Tiger, which has also pursued aggressive global expansion in recent years. Hirota, who has been with the company since 2018 and was appointed CEO in 2022, has overseen a period of unprecedented growth in an otherwise turbulent market.
While Nike’s stock price recently dipped to a 12-year low and Adidas is slumping considerably, Asics has increased its share price by over 500% in five years. The company has also more than doubled its operating profit in the last two financial years, from JPY 54.2 billion ($347.2 million) in 2023 to JPY 142.5 billion ($913 million) in 2025.
In Q2 this year, it recorded an operating profit margin of 22.5% — well above its competitors — and posted strong sales and operating profit growth across all categories and regions.
“We’ve implemented various initiatives [to get to this point], but the most important priority for us has been enhancing our brand value,” says Hirota. One of the main methods to combat this was to stop Asics releasing shoes priced below $80, he says, instead focusing on launching more products in the mid-to-high price range.
The popular Gel-Kayano 14, for instance, sells for $165, while the latest Cecilie Bahnsen collaboration, the Gel-Kinetic Fr, is listed for $220 on the designer’s website.
“We are also carefully managing supply and demand planning to avoid the need for discounting products, and by strictly controlling SG&A [selling, general, and administrative] expenses, we’ve been able to achieve these higher operating margins,” adds Hirota. In June, the company announced it was spinning off its Onitsuka Tiger label into an independent subsidiary in order to streamline internal processes.
Meanwhile, in January 2027, the company plans to dissolve and liquidate Asics Trading Co. (a wholly owned subsidiary that previously comprised the walking shoe business), folding it into the larger Asics Corp. to centralize operations.
Hirota frames the new walking push as an expansion rather than a shift. “The running business is still our central focus, and we’re aiming to secure the number one global position in running shoes while also establishing a strong presence in competitive sports,” he says. “We’re really intending to take the technology and expertise cultivated in these sports categories and apply them to the lifestyle sector to expand our offering in that category, too.”
With the Moon Amble rollout, the brand hopes the range can create a cultural moment, tapping into the rising appetite for products that can boost wellness and longevity. “Our hope is that we can contribute to people’s health and well-being worldwide by promoting walking as a way to stay healthy,” says Hirota.