ASICS Gel-NYC sneakers in cream with visible gel at the heel

About this model

ASICS created the GEL-NYC with Angelo Baque, founder of the New York label Awake NY, and it first appeared in January 2023 in two Awake NY collaborations, one teal and pink and one purple and gold, both on silver mesh. ASICS's own colorways followed from March 2023. Baque told Sneaker Freaker that the shoe was not designed from scratch. The team worked from the ASICS archive, and he wanted New York City in the name.

According to ASICS, the upper references the GEL-NIMBUS 3 from the early 2000s and borrows details from the GEL-MC PLUS V. Underneath is the tooling of the more modern GEL-CUMULUS 16, light foams with GEL inserts in the heel and forefoot. The upper mixes mesh with suede, and RunRepeat found the two-layer mesh very breathable. ASICS gives a 10 mm drop, and RunRepeat measured about 35 mm under the heel and 25 mm under the forefoot. The rubber outsole is split into separate pods with wide flex grooves between them.

RunRepeat is clear that this is a sneaker for walking and daily wear, and not a running shoe. In their lab the midsole came out on the firm side, with a softer GEL insert in the heel, and the wide base and stiff heel counter kept their feet steady through long days of errands. They found it true to size, a standard medium width with a little wiggle room for the toes.

Sources: asics.com · Sneaker Freaker · Hypebeast · RunRepeat