TikTok fashion commentators are prone to hyperbole. Yet when a TikTok creator dubs a shoe from Cecilie Bahnsen’s ongoing Asics collaboration the “prettiest fkn sneaker in the world,” it doesn't feel like an exaggeration.
Bahnsen is a Danish designer best known for confectionary dresses with billowing sleeves and equally voluminous skirts, but lately everyone online is obsessing over her sneakers. She brings a lighter-than-air sensibility and couture-level detailing to chunky, sporty footwear, beginning with the pairs she designed with Asics for her spring/summer 2023 season. Models walked Bahnsen’s show in upcycled Asics whose toes and heels were dotted in tiny, hand-appliqued synthetic flowers—like the cast had taken a detour to stomp through an open field on their way to the runway. Only 50 pairs became available; they sold out in two minutes.
Subsequent Asics capsules have attracted the same quick-selling results and breathless commentary, both from the people who got a pair and those who did not. Now, as editors, stylists, and celebrities gather in Paris to take in the latest haute couture shows, another group of fashion lovers is congregating online for the next chapter of Bahnsen’s Asics partnership.
The drop, available today, is once again a balance of whimsical and athletic; tennis shoes for shoppers who skip as often as they run. There are two sneakers that turn the sporty Asics GT-2160 into a Mary Jane hybrid. Transparent panels illustrated with lace-like florals line the outsides; where the tongue of the sneaker would normally be places, there’s instead a cutout panel and a velcro strap embellished with a puffy flower. (In other words, another pretty-effing sneaker.) Each pair retails for $185 at both Cecilie Bahnsen’s online store and MatchesFashion. For shoppers who miss today’s metallic drop—or who buy one and want another—blue and pink pairs will arrive online in November.
Bahnsen told Harper's Bazaar that the collaboration builds on the playful contradictions at the heart of her brand and the wardrobes of the people who wear it.
“There is something really interesting about the juxtaposition of hyper-feminine details with more sporty pieces that I've always loved,” she said. “I think it's part of a Scandinavian type-effortlessness. I'm always very inspired by the girls at the atelier and their style—often pairing poufy couture dresses with jeans and sporty sneakers.”
Both pairs of the newly reimagined Asics GT-2160s will easily slot into the aforementioned shopper’s wardrobe. With underfoot cushioning and tread soles, the sneakers qualify as hard-working, all-day walking shoes. But with their wavy floral uppers and Mary Jane velcro clasp, they’re more for sprinting between downtown sample sales and less for hitting a step goal.
Carefully rendered details that still feel wearable are often what draws shoppers to Bahnsen’s designs. (Speaking from experience: Her most voluminous dresses feel as light as air and attract heaps of compliments.) “We often speak about 'Everyday Couture' among our team,” Bahnsen said. Definition: “The idea that people enjoy the clothes and are not too precious with them. We really wanted to create a sneaker that is playful and could fit with that notion.”
Bahnsen ultimately wants people to feel inspired to wear her shoes daily. Judging by the response before their wide release, this isn’t a big ask. A few lucky shoppers picked up the Asics GT-2160 at a pop-up with Dover Street Market in June. They wasted no time dressing in their Cecilie Bahnsen best to unbox their pairs on TikTok, to the tune of comments such as, "There is nothing in my life I need as much as these shoes." Yet there were just as many early shoppers who wore theirs in a different Scandi style dress code, clad in pleated slacks and solid ribbed tank tops and silver hoop earrings. (I’ve even seen some crafty Bahnsen fans, anticipating that the actual sneakers will sell out in minutes, DIY-ing silver lace and floral appliqués to their own sneakers in an homage to the collection.)
Cecilie Bahnsen GEL-Nimbus 9 Ripstop Trainers
Cecilie Bahnsen GEL-Nimbus 9 Ripstop Trainers
The designer couldn’t decide whether the black or silver pair was her favorite. She secured one pair of each, to wear with her label’s dresses, shirts, and trousers. Such is the beauty of ‘everyday couture’: The collections are really, really pretty—and wearable in casual ways.
Halie LeSavage is the fashion commerce editor at Harper's BAZAAR. Her style reporting covers everything from reviewing the best designer products to profiling emerging brands and designers. Previously, she was the founding retail writer at Morning Brew and a fashion associate at Glamour.
