With the Chinese New Year quickly approaching, footwear brands are quickly queuing in and releasing a plethora of silhouettes inspired by the festive holiday. However, ASICS has decided to venture off the beaten path, by releasing a GEL-Lyte III resembling the traditional dolls of the Buddhist religion.

If the latest GEL-Lyte III looks oddly familiar, a similar offering dubbed “Baltic Jewel” released back in September 2020. The latest colorway is an extension of the Daruma Doll models, only this time the latest offering is dressed in a traditional look.

Elsewhere on the design side, the model is covered in a red and white upper with hues of gold, which are traditional colors of the beloved dolls. Other details include a patent leather ASICS logo on the lateral and medial side and gold accents found on the logos and heels.

If the latest release has caught your attention, grab a look below at the latest images, and be sure to hit up our sneaker release page for all the latest news on upcoming drops. As always keep it locked here at Nice Kicks. The “Daruma Doll” is available on the ASICS website.

SBTG & Limited EDT have teamed up with ASICS to launch a new GEL-Lyte III Collab, the Grey “Monsoon Patrol”. This drop follows up the 2018 one between the trio for the Olive model, and this one has a bonus. Taking a note out of Bodega’s book, some orders will come with special dog tags, granting access to F&F pairs. We’ll be taking a look at both the Grey and the ultra-limited Black F&F pair below, so read on!

The Grey edition of the shoe is constructed from mesh, leather & suede combination uppers with rubber outsoles. Mesh is found on the vamp& midfoot panels while the leather collar sits comfortably around the ankle. The overlayed paneling comes through in a mélange of Grey suedes, wrapping from the toebox around to the heel cup. A Mesh lace-covering shroud, which reads “Monsoon Patrol”, sits on top of a versatile “Rebel Lace System”. The lacing system features loops with traditional placement, though also with lace loops along the suede paneling for a trail-inspired look. A dual-toned outsole sits below the intricate uppers, also arriving with Grey tones implemented to it.

The Black F&F pair removes the mesh from the model, replacing it with a luxe tumbled leather instead. Also utilizing both short & long-haired suedes for the overlayed paneling, this edition only contains Black rather than Grey. While the Grey model comes with Black & Neon Yellow laces, the F&F comes with a Black & Orange pairing. The midsole is White, finished off by a Black outsole – additionally the lace-covering shroud is also replaced with Black tumbled leather.

The collab is set to launch in store at LE Vault & CHAMBER, as well as on SBTG & Limited EDT’s respective webstores – they’ll also be available from various retailers. Priced at $249 SGD (approximately $190 USD), worldwide shipping is available so be sure to check in at 11 AM for the drop. A fitting way to celebrate the GEL-Lyte III’s 30^th anniversary, this luxurious partnership is set to be revered by fans. Check out official campaign images as well as a promotional video below for the collab!

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