Soft Goods Design
ASICS AYAMi Women's Performance Footwear
Exploring materials, patterns and layering in performance footwear design for the ASICS AYAMi collection.
A fresh perspective on performance footwear
The challenge was to inspire a collection, rather than prescribe individual shoe designs.
ASICS already had highly specialised in-house footwear design teams. The AYAMi project offered a fresh perspective on performance footwear design, exploring new possibilities in soft materials, patterns and layering.
Joanna Boothman developed an open-ended visual story that introduced new ideas and gave the designers in Japan a creative framework they could interpret and develop further.
The project focused on the expressive possibilities of soft materials, patterns and construction, bringing new thinking to an established performance footwear brand.
Layer Logic: building a design story
At the centre of the project was Layer Logic, a creative story developed through words, imagery and conceptual sketches.
The exploration focused on how patterns, materials and overlapping layers could create a distinctive identity for the collection.
Ideas such as bold heel treatments, dynamic layering and fluid lines became recurring design principles. Together, they provided a coherent direction while allowing different models to develop their own character.
The story became both an inspiration for the Japanese footwear designers and a reference for the European ASICS marketing and colour-and-materials teams.
From creative direction to a collection
The design principles were translated into a collection of seven footwear models for the Autumn/Winter 2012 season.
Working with the European ASICS team, the resulting designs were evaluated against the original creative direction. Material combinations, patterns and visual details were explored and refined, with the most promising solutions selected for production.
The creative platform also provided ideas that could be carried forward into future collections.
An unexpected approach to lacing
One of the outcomes was Courage, a new asymmetrical shoe design that explored a different relationship between construction, pattern and appearance.
Joanna developed an original lacing concept featuring a starburst pattern with small lucky charms.
The design illustrates how a familiar functional detail, such as shoe lacing, can become an expressive element that helps define the character of a product.
What we did: Creative direction, material exploration and design development
Joanna Boothman developed the creative direction for the AYAMi collection, exploring patterns, materials and alternative design concepts.
She brought these together in the Layer Logic story, providing a creative framework for the ASICS footwear designers in Japan.
Working with the European ASICS team, she helped evaluate the resulting designs and select material combinations and details for production.
The project also reflects our approach to soft goods design and development, where materials, patterns and form are explored together from the earliest stages.
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