HELEN KIRKUM is working with Asics for the second time as a continuation of the first ‘Crafts for Minds’ project which launched in February 2022. This is a handmade in-house collaboration, in partnership with Footpatrol to mark their 20th anniversary with 20 exclusive, limited edition sneakers. Each pair is completely one-of-one and unique; as with all HELEN KIRKUM products, the bespoke nature of the sneakers is paramount and each pair has its own collaged pattern created from ASICS offcuts. The sneakers are crafted using 5 key ASICS silhouettes as a base; GEL-LYTE III, GEL-NANDI OG, GEL-PRELEUS, GEL-KAYANO 14 and the GEL-KAYANO 5 OG. Each of the deadstock pairs have been customised with a collaged ASICS logo; a key element of each pair.
Each pair will be raffled off, with the proceeds from the sales going to the charity Young Minds. The raffle will go live from Tuesday 15th November 2022 on the Footpatrol Launches app.
The patches are created from off cuts from HELEN KIRKUM and ASICS’ previous project – on the centre of the ASICS logo, customers can see the piece that was cut out from the previous collaboration, where the centre of the logo was cut away – a unique way to connect these projects together, and a thread that runs through these collections. The fragmented logo is split across each of the 20 pairs, so each pair shares pieces from the same sneaker. Also embedded within the design are offcuts from the Footpatrol one-of-one sneaker HELEN KIRKUM created for their 20 year Blueprint exhibition.
HELEN KIRKUM’s take on each iconic silhouette features a vibrant patchwork toe box framed with neon blanket stitch, fractured logos and limited edition embroidery details. 1 of 20 pairs created for the exclusive Garage Sale Launch, celebrating 20 years of Footpatrol. Each pair in the collection has its own unique collage of materials creating 20 distinctly individual pairs.
On the collection, Helen Kirkum tells us: “We love doing these projects, it gives us a chance to be creative, wild with design and not conform to the norm, things that we couldn’t create in factory-made production. All the scraps that comprise the sneakers are mixed together to create a vibrant collage aesthetic – for the theme for the project, we wanted to reimagine a traditional British garage sale. When I was thinking about pieces I had to use and the off cuts to utilise, as well as these odd mismatched silhouettes we collected, it reminded me of a garage sale where everything’s muddled up and you can find some amazing gems among that. We created recognisable accents with our embroidered tongue patches, using neon thread throughout to capture a vintage garage sale feel. We finished off all pairs with our signature blanket stitch around the toe, which you see on many of our handmade collaborations, adding the element of craft and texture that we love in all our products.”
Krzysztof Rodziewicz, PR Manager at ASICS, tell us: “We cannot imagine a better partner to celebrate two decades of Footpatrol, than Helen Kirkum. Her unparalleled design skills and craftsmanship took us on a journey of the past 20 years of ASICS’ technological advancements, rooted in style and comfort. We hope these handcrafted, unique creations will uplift the minds of their future owners.”
Sam Hodgkinson, Marketing & PR Manager at Footpatrol, says of the collaboration: “Having previously worked with bespoke genius Helen Kirkum to create a 1-of-1 piece that utilises our five ASICS collaborations, we are delighted to be given the opportunity to work with Helen once again on a lively 20-piece footwear collection. It was yet another fascinating way to celebrate our 20th anniversary, seeing Helen’s creative process unfold, taking five of ASICS’ most iconic silhouettes, and creating one overall bespoke collection! With all the proceeds of the collection going to an amazing cause!”
Check out some of these unique pieces below.
