Asics Sparks Youth Dialogue with Shanghai Exhibition

With the launch of its “Edge, Engaging” pop-up exhibition in the heart of Shanghai’s creative district, Japanese sportswear brand Asics is making a calculated, high-energy push to elevate its relevance among China’s Gen Z and millennial consumers.

Running from April 10 to 13 at 758 Julu Road, the exhibition is part of Asics’ global lifestyle campaign “feel comfort, find energy.” In China, however, the message is reinterpreted through a localized theme: “respond with spontaneity” (随机敢应). It’s a timely message for a generation growing up in uncertainty—one that prizes adaptability, emotional clarity, and authentic self-expression as forms of strength.

In alignment with the “Authenticity” pillar under Jingzhi Success Framework, Asics’ Shanghai activation focuses on emotional resonance, aesthetic innovation, and community-driven storytelling. Rather than relying on conventional product showcases, the brand turned its retro-futurist sneaker archive into a multi-sensory installation co-created with artists and cultural collaborators, meeting Chinese youth where they live: at the intersection of style, art, and identity.

The opening day featured a surprise appearance from brand ambassador Tian Jiarui, one of China’s rising voices in youth culture. Wearing the Gel-Ds trainer 14 from Asics’ retro future collection, he embodied the theme of “respond with spontaneity” through a deconstructed aesthetic and a message that challenged the audience to stay true to their inner rhythm. To mark the moment, he gifted fans a signature t-shirt he co-designed, combining the asics logo with his fan symbol “Jia Zhu Tao” and the distinctive blue color, applied through spray-paint art techniques. “I believe ‘respond with spontaneity’ isn’t just an attitude—it’s a lifestyle,” Tian said. “It encourages us to remain centered and self-aware, even in the face of uncertainty, and to dance with the world on our own terms.”

The exhibition itself spans three immersive rooms inspired by retro-futurism, deconstruction, and speculative design. A retro archive room pays homage to early-2000s “Y2K” sneaker culture; a deconstruction room dissects form and function through experimental aesthetics; and a future capsule pushes boundaries of material, silhouette, and visual language. These spaces not only showcase classic models like the Gel-Kayano 14, Gel-Ds trainer 14, and Gel-Kayano 20, but reframe them through the lens of art and cultural evolution.

To bring the theme to life, Asics partnered with four multidisciplinary artists whose works each interpreted “respond with spontaneity” in unique ways. Graffiti artist Alan Azzon presented “Echo,” an immersive meditation on repetition and memory. Installation artist Xu Zhuoer offered “The Babel Plan – Asics,” a conceptual piece fusing chaos and communication. Visual artist Raven Kwok debuted “Gravity unbound,” a coded motion study exploring gravitational escape. And art collective Studiostudio constructed “Plugin – Hyper sensory perception,” a glitch-inspired environment blurring time and identity.

Asics also worked with lifestyle groups fruityshop and HaoHaolaugh to extend the exhibition into a youth-oriented ecosystem with creative merchandise, hands-on workshops, and live music. For a generation that sees fashion as self-curation and space as self-extension, the activation provided both inspiration and affirmation. Rather than simply displaying products, asics used the moment to introduce new collaborations and design stories that connect with the daily realities and emotional tempos of young Chinese consumers.

While rooted in a global brand philosophy—“sound mind, sound body”—Asics’ latest move reflects a growing sensitivity to local codes. In China’s youth market, performance no longer exists in isolation from culture. Style, art, and emotional coherence are equally essential. By championing the idea of “responding with spontaneity,” asics is signaling its intention to support not just how young people move, but how they think, feel, and evolve.

More than just an exhibition, “Edge, Engaging” represents a new kind of brand playbook—one where comfort is not only worn, but felt, and where relevance is earned through co-creation, not messaging alone. In that sense, Asics may be taking its most meaningful step yet into the emotional architecture of China’s future consumers.