Story mfg. sends the ASICS GEL-Transcend FJ rambling

Story mfg. and ASICS are teaming up again. The Story mfg. x ASICS GEL-Transcend FJ arrives in two plaid colourways, Dark Brown and Black, and revolves around one idea: heading out without a fixed destination. The wider release of the Story mfg. x ASICS GEL-Transcend FJ follows on 20 November.

The London label was founded in 2013 by Saeed and Katy Al-Rubeyi. Since then, Story mfg. has been known for slow fashion, vegan production and traditional craft. Every garment is carefully considered, from cut and colour to material.

The duo has worked with ASICS before. Last year the GEL-Venture 6 got a gingham treatment in the first Story mfg. x ASICS collab. Now part two follows, on a different model.

Trees Are Poems: dyeing with bark and roots

The GEL-Transcend FJ is part of 'Trees Are Poems', the Spring/Summer 2027 collection Story mfg. presented at the end of June. The sneakers' plaid was first seen around Paris Fashion Week, back then without a model name or release date.

The collection revolves around natural dyes. Brown tones come from bark and roots, indigo is fermented, and for the first time the label works with wax batik. The wax resists the dye, leaving cracked, hazy patterns. On top of that, the team draws the words 'Trees Are Poems' by hand onto garments. So no two pieces are the same. The same collection also includes a collaboration with PF Flyers.

The GEL-Transcend FJ itself is a relatively new model from ASICS. In September the silhouette already dropped in its own colourways. Its design looks back at the walking and hiking shoes the Japanese brand made in the nineties. The chunky, jagged outsole comes from the GEL-FujiTrabuco 7, a trail shoe. That also seems to be where the FJ suffix comes from.

Where the first collab used a well-known silhouette, the duo now picks a model that few people have seen on feet yet.

Plaid, mesh and beads

The upper combines mesh with recycled synthetic leather overlays. Plaid is a Story mfg. signature, and this time the check is inspired by old hiking blankets. The label runs it across the toe, the heel counter, the ASICS logo and the lacing area.

On the toe box, the small ASICS logo is perforated into the material. A subtle detail you only notice up close. Story mfg. branding sits on the tongue, the outer heel and the insole. If you want to give your pair a personal touch, beads are included to thread onto the laces.

The label is just as excited about the sole: an aggressive yet lightweight tread that is supple and grippy. The blacksmith photographed for the campaign even reckons he sharpens 20 percent faster in them. He promptly asked to keep a pair for work.

The Story mfg. x ASICS GEL-Transcend FJ comes in two versions. The Dark Brown (1203B194-200) is done entirely in brown tones, which makes the plaid look calm and warm. The Black (1203B194-001) sets a grey check against a black base and comes across a little sharper. Both pairs are offered in unisex sizing.

A campaign about rambling

The story behind the shoe is rambling. The word has several meanings: to walk, but also to talk a lot. Even roses ramble when they grow in the 'wrong' direction and look beautiful doing it. The common thread is freedom, and Story mfg. calls the model a tribute to rambling.

The campaign continues the series in which Story mfg. and ASICS document people who do what they love. This time the duo drew on the Japanese heritage of ASICS. In front of the camera: a forager, a blacksmith, dancers, farmers and cyclists. All rambling in their own way.

On 7 and 8 November the label opens the Rambling Club clubhouse at its own studio in London. Membership requires an application form and a hand-drawn self-portrait. 'It is a made-up club, but we take it very seriously', says Story mfg. Members get a badge and first chance to buy the shoes. Or as the label puts it: 'Walk a little, talk too much.'

Where can you buy the Story mfg. x ASICS GEL-Transcend FJ?

Both colourways go live on 11 November via the Story mfg. webshop. The release through ASICS and select retailers follows on 20 November.

The retail price is €180. That's €20 more than the regular GEL-Transcend FJ. At some shops, such as Footshop, sales run through a raffle, so check per store how to get a shot at a pair.

From release, you'll find the Story mfg. x ASICS GEL-Transcend FJ at AFEW among others, in both Dark Brown and Black.

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