Kiko Kostadinov Launches Tabi Asics with Ryan Trecartin
Here’s a pretty basic common truth: Advertising sucks. Most promotional content you see on your feeds or in your inbox has been so algorithmically neutered, it actually says nothing at all. So what else to do but completely subvert the form?
To celebrate the launches of a trio of new Asics sneakers with a tabi split toe—the latest products in a decade-long partnership—Kiko Kostadinov didn’t make it ad. He gave the conceptual and freaked-up artist Ryan Trecartin total creative control over the visuals to promote the shoes. The result is very much not an ad, but a tri-partite creative project: It’s a series of uncanny images featuring 15 actors Trecartin cast in Japan. It’s a series of videos featuring his trademark stilted dialogue and high key editing style. And it’s a musical, well, a collection of music written by Trecartin that hybridizes pop, opera, and teeny bop kitsch—all about Kiko and sneakers.
If that sounds totally bizarre, well, yeah. Kostadinov and Trecartin are used to breaking the expectations of their work, collaborating on retail store designs that are part-gallery, part-hangout for Kostadinov’s locations in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and London. The series for Kostadinov and Asics is some of Trecartin’s most evocative recent work, which will culminate in a final project, BUCKLE YUP, that will debut later this year.
To debut the imagery and videos on i-D, Kostadinov answered some questions about working with Trecartin and how it feels to have at least two—and counting—certified bops written about his shoes.
Steff Yotka: How did you meet Ryan? Why did you want to work with him on this series for Asics?
Kiko Kostadinov: Our collaborative relationship with Ryan has been ongoing for several years. He designed our three global flagship locations, beginning with Tokyo and Los Angeles in 2024, followed by London in 2025. As discussions began around the sequential release of the Tabi project, we envisioned a long-form narrative campaign that would unfold across the calendar year, paralleling each Tabi release in both menswear and womenswear. Ryan was the natural choice to realize this concept. While he is an exceptional designer of built environments, his genius lies in movie making. His movies have shaped a generation and stand among the most significant cultural works of this century. It was a privilege to have him agree to the project.
What’s the narrative behind the campaign visuals? Can you tell us about the shoot day and experience?
The foundation of the project is a full-length album written and arranged by Ryan. At its core, BUCKLE YUP functions as a musical, with dialogue interspersed throughout. The “commercial” unfolds in three acts, each centered on a specific Tabi shoe. While the broader narrative arc continues to take shape, act one, titled “Cue Shoes,” introduces the characters through the performances of our band, composed of both boys and girls. The energy of the shoot mirrored the tone of “Cue Shoes” itself: chaotic, immediate, and highly charged. Seeing Ryan work in real time was a special experience.
Why did you want to bring the tabi design back to Asics? What makes that shape feel relevant to you in 2026?
We have been working on the shoe silhouette for nearly two years. Together with Laura and Deanna, we thought it is a shape that is quite relevant for ASICS as a Japanese brand, given how popular tabi has been around the world, but interpreted more as aesthetic. In 1953, Asics even had tabi marathon running shoe, which is something most of people probably have no idea about.
Which pair are you wearing of the Kiko Kostadinov x ASICS ILARGI FF? How do you style them?
Both colours…the upper is translucent nylon so the look can change with different colour socks. I don’t have much time to hem my trousers, so I tend to tuck them into the socks. I look like I’m about to go and play football in the park.
Ryan wrote the second song about Kiko shoes, after Steve Lacy’s “Nice Shoes.” Will there be a third?
We have a whole EP coming…. We going on tour with Ryan. LOL.