Thom Browne Sent a Surprise Asics Collab Down the GQ Bowl Runway
Thom Browne is no stranger to sports. The American designer, who just sent his fall 2026 down the runway at our second-ever GQ Bowl, is also a lifelong athlete who’s outfitted major sports stars (LeBron and Messi come to mind) and has even staged fashion shows inspired by ice skating and surfing. The designer knows his way around classic American sportswear, the casual counterpart to the iconic shrunken suits that helped turn the brand into a sartorial standout.
Since founding his namesake brand in 2001, Browne has yet to engage in a full-scale sneaker collaboration. Sure, the brand has offered its own sneakers before, but Browne has now allowed Asics into the world that he’s so carefully constructed for decades. The soon-to-be-released, Browne-ified Gel-Kayano 14 made its debut at the Bowl, a fresh switch-up from the usual oxfords and lace-up boots that typically grace the brand’s runway. Eagle-eyed viewers might have even caught an early glimpse of the sneakers on Teyana Taylor’s eldest daughter on the red, er, gray carpet ahead of the show.
It makes sense for Asics, also a sponsor of GQ Bowl, to offer the blank canvas onto which Browne could exact his vision. The Gel-Kayano 14 is one of the hottest sneakers out there, having been the model of choice for not just Browne but also the likes of Kiko Kostadinov, JJJJound, and Vivienne Westwood.
Browne left the Gel-Kayano’s design intact, decking out the trio of colorways—gray, black, and white—with his signature grosgrain red-white-and-blue tab. The popularity of the Gel-Kayano 14 is so high that, after it was discontinued following its 2008 initial release, many fans would scour resale sites to get a pair of the techy joints into their sneaker rotation. Its 2020 resurgence and subsequent designer collaborations have only further cemented the silhouette’s legendary status in sneaker history. And given its affinity for selling out incredibly quickly, we imagine that Browne’s version won’t be the easiest to cop.
GQ Bowl is now two for two for debuting highly sought after designer sneaker collaborations. At the inaugural Bowl, Bode and Nike previewed a new all-green colorway of their uber-popular Astro Grabbers. What this means for next year’s Bowl is anyone’s guess, but until then, we’ll be waiting for the Thom Browne Asics to drop.
