Onitsuka Tiger announced the official launch of their third store in India at the premium retail and lifestyle hub, Select City Walk, New Delhi. This store is close on the heels to the brand’s second store at Chandigarh’s Elante mall and the first one at Mumbai’s Palladium mall.
In-lieu of the brand’s strong Japanese connect, the opening of the store began with the traditional sake breaking ceremony by Onitsuka Tiger loyalist and Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff along with Rajat Khurana, Managing Director, ASICS India Pvt Ltd.
The new store offers an enjoyable shopping experience for ardent fans as well as the fashion conscious, the sports enthusiast, the sneaker collector or casual shopper, families and tourists. It stocks the brand’s latest collection at prices consistent with its other stores, ensuring it will be a favourite for sneaker lovers.
The opening of this new store aligns with the Onitsuka Tiger story, created in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka who started the brand with a humble idea that sport had the power to transform lives. Till today, the rich heritage and Japanese craftsmanship of the brand, combined with a timeless aesthetic that was discovered on the track, is now worn and seen on streets around the world. Constantly branching out and collaborating with a variety of creative souls from visual artists to fashion designers, from art collectives to sneaker heads, the spirit of Onitsuka Tiger has uplifted its sporting brand into the fashion and lifestyle scene.
Speaking at the launch, Rajat says, “Today marks a special day for us as we launch our 3rd exclusive outlet of Onitsuka Tiger in India. Our one of a kind modern designs and stripes have achieved cult status world over and has a great connect with fashion influencers too. With the launch of our flagship store, we are hopeful to retain and attract many more brand loyalists and be able to cater to their fashion sensibilities.”
Onitsuka Tiger’s newest mono-brand store in the country is conveniently situated at the popular and bustling Select City Walk mall, one of the first premium and largest shopping centers in New Delhi. A shopper’s paradise, this high-end mall offers an extensive mix of well-known and international fashion, lifestyle and F&B brands and is a trendy and popular meeting place.
With a retail space of 90 square meters, the new store store’s grand opening was hosted by ASICS India and will stock the brand’s signature collections of shoes such as MEXICO 66 SD and TSUNAHIKI amongst others and apparel for both men and women.
The center pride at the Onitsuka Tiger, New Delhi store is the NIPPON MADE series, an epitome of Japanese craftsmanship. The basic components of the shoes are first assembled, after which the leather making up the upper is washed and processed in hot water. The footwear is then carefully squeezed and dried, leaving the shoes with a wrinkly, vintage look when dry. Every step is skilfuly executed by hand and no two pairs of shoes are alike.
The global campaign of Onitsuka Tiger’s AW’18 collection kicked off with the debut of TSUNAHIKI. The TSUNAHIKI––has been born of Onitsuka Tiger’s long history and abundant, unique archive of styles. The shoe is designed based on a tug-of-war competition shoe – “TSUNAHIKI 82” introduced in 1982. The original unique design––a wide, wrapped rubber outer sole––has been left intact, with the revival offering improving cushioning with the addition of an Ortholiteinner-sole.
Tiger says, “I’m excited to be here in Delhi to launch Onitsuka Tiger’s flagship store. Onitsuka Tiger is a brand that I have long admired, for its timeless aesthetics and philosophy – sport has the power to transform lives. Be it sports or dance, sneakers are something I always opt for to complete my look. Onitsuka Tiger shoes are all about unique design and style with comfort. My personal favourite are the classic Mexico 66.”
The artisanship of the Japanese brand extends to the store interior that is accented by Sumi mortar, a distinctly unique material that has the texture of wood, amplifying the store’s intricate yet edgy look. A complex eight-step process goes into the formulation, which uses ingredients such as AsagiTsuchi, a special type of Japanese soil used to prevent cracking, and Sumi paint (water, Sumi ink and acrylic emulsion).
