Explainer / Why stars and sneakerheads alike love Onitsuka Tiger: Asics’ original Mexico trainer graces the feet of Prince William, Hailey Bieber and Uma Thurman with her Bruce Lee-inspired look in Kill Bill

Jan 28 , 2024

Onitsuka Tiger’s Mexico 66 sneaker is as hot as ever, and has recently been seen on celebrities including Kaia Gerber. Photos: Julesee by Julie Woolenberg/Pinterest, @onitsukatigersg/Instagram

Much like its American or German counterparts, sports footwear brand Onitsuka Tiger’s journey began with a passionate founder relentlessly pursuing comfort, speed and style.

The brand’s Japanese founder Kihachiro Onitsuka firmly believed that an active lifestyle can improve lives, according to Asics’ website. Sport, Onitsuka felt, is a common thread bringing people together, and physical activity has the power to unite communities and create a sense of camaraderie.

Onitsuka Tiger’s Mexico 66 SD trainer. Photo: @onitsukatigersg/Instagram

In 1949, he founded his namesake brand Onitsuka Tiger, inspired by the Latin motto anima sana in corpore sano, which translates to “a sound mind in a sound body”. He was determined to inspire positivity in the youth of post-war Japan, according to the brand’s website.

The Latin maxim would become Onitsuka Tiger’s guiding philosophy and an important part of its transition into a fully fledged sportswear brand.

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From the get-go, Onitsuka Tiger trainers were designed with both function and style in mind, since Onitsuka himself was adamant about capturing a young generation of Japanese consumers.

Mention Onitsuka Tigers to sneakerheads, and chances are the first image that comes to their minds is the white leather shoe accented with blue and red stripes on the side, completed with a rubber sole. The Limber-Up trainer – better known by fans as the Mexico trainer, as its launch coincided with the pregame events of the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games – carries a similar silhouette and design as the Onitsuka Tiger trainers we know and love today.

The brand, however, had been making rubber-soled trainers and track spikes a decade before this icon was born, with the unmistakable stripes of Onitsuka finding their way on to international circuits. In 1962, Phil Knight, a newcomer in the shoe industry, visited Onitsuka in hopes of bringing the brand to the US under his Blue Ribbon Sports. The collaboration fell through though, with Knight instead later making his own shoe and founding Nike.

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The brand’s Mexico 66 Paraty trainer. Photo: @onitsukatigerhk/Instagram

Onitsuka changed its name in 1977 to Asics – an acronym of the Latin motto, anima sana in corpore sano that started it all. While the logo remained, the classic aesthetic once popular on running tracks and among stylish youth arguably got lost in tech- and research-driven designs. Utilitarian at heart, Asics expanded to include apparel and lifestyle products, though it also remained dedicated to creating top-notch running shoes.

Still, those red and blue stripes that dominated the 60s and 70s became an obsession among sneakerheads craving an authentic vintage aesthetic.

Uma Thurman in her Bruce Lee-inspired tracksuit and Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 trainers, in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol I. Photo: Instagram

Nostalgia brewing in the 2000s drove trends in everything from vintage bicycles to mid-century furniture – perhaps spurred by the internet revolution and the rise of tech brands like Apple, Microsoft and Cisco – setting the tone for the brand relaunch of Onitsuka Tiger in 2002.

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Bruce Lee with his co-star, NBA basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, on the set of Game of Death. Photo: @bruce_lee_little_dragon/Instagram

There’s no denying the shoe’s pop culture significance – in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill film saga, The Bride played by Uma Thurman punches and kicks in a yellow ensemble with black stripes and a matching pair of Onitsuka Tigers, inspired by none other than kung fu film legend Bruce Lee, who sported a similar look including a pair of Mexico 66 trainers in his final film, Game of Death.

Since the relaunch, Onitsuka Tigers have been seen on the feet of everyone from princes to runway royalty. Prince William has been known to wear his on casual days out, while Kaia Gerber and Bella Hadid are both fans of the shoe too.

Kaia Gerber sports yellow Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 trainers. Photo: Julesee by Julie Woolenberg/Pinterest

Onitsuka Tiger and its blue and red stripes recently celebrated two decades of revived classics. What started as a single pair of running shoes now includes the logo reimagined in various colours. The brand has expanded to include the women’s ready-to-wear collections and a men’s formal leather footwear range.

That being said, the nostalgic charm and utilitarian attraction of the original Onitsuka Tiger Mexico trainer remain at the heart of the brand.

Fashion

Kihachiro Onitsuka founded Onitsuka Tiger in 1949, inspired by the Latin motto ‘anima sana in corpore sano’ – ‘A sound mind in a sound body’ – which in 1977 led to the company name Asics
The Onitsuka Tiger brand was relaunched in 2002 and is experiencing another revival, with everyone from Prince William to Bella Hadid and Kaia Gerber seen sporting Mexico 66 sneakers