ASICS' Spring '17 has started to arrive here at Attitude, and if these first two arrivals are anything to go by, we're in for one hell of a season. Secondly we have the Gel Respector, a model making its Attitude debut, in a Carbon/Carbon colourway which is every bit as hardcore as it sounds.
The base of the upper comes in a smooth and very premium perforated grey suede, with hairier grey suede overlays featured at the toebox, midfoot and heel areas. The ASICS tiger stripes on the lateral and medial sides of the shoe come in a grey leather, a classic way of giving priority to the branding without detracting from the overall colourway, and on the heel we see light grey embroidered ASICS and GEL text. The midsole and outsole also come in the same shade of grey, so while it is a simple colourway, it looks incredibly sleek and has been executed with some brilliant materials.
GEL in the title of the shoe refers to the cushioning technology that runs throug the midsole of the shoe. It provides excellent shock absorption and improves comfort vastly, working in conjunction with the staggered design of the sole to provide a better walking (or running) experience overall. At the heel we see a plastic counter that provides excellent support and a more secure fit, and finally the perforations across the upper improve breathability.
We also have other ASICS styles, including the GEL-Lyte Runner, GEL-Lyte V, GEL Kayano, GEL-Lyte III and GEL Saga.