If you were to walk around Philadelphia with your head down making only shoe contact, you might come to the conclusion that Philly is the ASICS Capital of the World. It seems like just about everyone is rocking a pair of the iconic Japanese brand's early 2000s tech runners right now, which makes them the perfect choice for our initial foray into dip-dyeing shoes as part of LAPSTONE INDIGO 2024. Releasing on Saturday, February 3rd, we are proud to present: Lapstone for ASICS "Indigo Dip Dye" Gel-NYC and Gel-1130.
While we have experimented with dip-dyeing shoes in the past, we’ve never made them available for sale until now. We chose these specific Gel-NYC and Gel-1130 models for this project not just for their recent popularity, but with the thinking that their abundance of mesh, suede and nubuck overlays would take the natural dye really well. For the past few months the bossman himself, Brian Nadav, has been putting this theory to the test. He conducted extensive trials using different dyes, different sneaker models, varying lengths of dip time, different temperatures for the water, and different types of pre and post-dye washes, all in the service of perfecting the method for this "Indigo Dip Dye" project.
"It feels good to be back in the lab again dyeing and sampling with indigo,” said Brian about the process of creating the project. “The intention here was to make these feel like your favorite old pair of stonewashed jeans. Lots of care and attention went into getting the proper wash for that perfect fade, while still retaining a range of indigo tones in each pair. I'm really happy with the way these pairs finished up."
After finally landing on the right models, methods and dyes for this project, Brian and Dato, Lapstone’s trusted warehouse manager, went about personally hand-dipping every single pair of Gel-NYC and Gel-1130. Since the dyeing is all done by hand in small batches, no two are alike. The human element of the process results in variations and unique colors on each shoe, producing a range of indigo tones from light stonewash to deep indigo.
The webbed big mesh upper of the chunkier Gel-NYC provides a barely blue canvas for the indigo soaked suede panels to really pop, showing off metallic silver synthetic overlays that sit atop an updated retro tooling system with gel inserts. The sleeker Gel-1130 differs in its material makeup with its tighter mesh, and the traditional synthetic overlays have been repurposed with suede paneling. Traces of dye on both shoes' midsoles call back to the hand crafted nature of the project, while the layered mesh and suede construction further highlights the indigo variations from shoe to shoe.
Lapstone for ASICS “Indigo Dip Dye”:
Gel-NYC (Men’s size 7.5 - 13) - $180
Gel-1130 (Men’s size 7.5 - 13) - $160
Lapstone For ASICS "Indigo Dip Dye" Gel-NYC and Gel-1130 is limited to 100 pairs in total, and will be available on Saturday, February 3rd at 10:00am FCFS in-store at our 1106 Chestnut St. location in Philadelphia and via online raffle from 2/1 @ 10:00am - 2/2 @ 11:59pm, sign up at lapstoneandhammer.com.
Photos and graphics created by Evan Kaucher, Daquan Harris and Na'im Cook
