Epsilon Magazine

View Original

Bodega x Asics Gel-NYC 'After Hours'

From concept/story to the final design, bodega nailed it. When I think of after hours in a dark city on a rainy night, I think damp streets, neon signs or dim street lights, and shoes that are inevitably going to get dirty.

Materials: the majority of the upper is a dark plum nubuck that has a nice, soft feel to it. Underneath the nubuck is a hairy brown suede & it has these strands of white fraying throughout it. As for the stripes, they used a translucent panel w/ black inlays & on the medial side they used a dark plum nubuck with what looks like olive inlays in the light. My favorite detail is on the tongue and back heel, there's a 'green moss' hit & is made of felt material. The mesh used is in a grey chainlink pattern like you'd see on a ⛓️ fence. On the sock liner, they used a soft, diamond pattern in purple. A unique touch is the gel pods are filled with a mossy green glitter. Lastly, the coral neon hits throughout the sneakers, the neon is embroidered on the tongue & back heel & on the medial side with 'bodega' & on lateral side they used the Asics logo.

Comfort/Sizing: in terms of comfort, I feel like this is similar to the 1130 in terms of squish, but it has a more stable & firm feel if that makes sense. In terms of sizing, I got these in a 7.5 & they fit, but they are a tad snug (they have stretched as they broke in). I'd personally go with your usual tts on these unless you want a tight fit.

Overall Opinion: I think that bodega did an incredible job with these. There are so many little details put in such subtle places but they mesh together very well. This sneaker really speaks volumes to how creative & detail oriented the design team is over there. This sneaker really gave me the vibe of an after hours in the city & I have to mention again, the green moss hit is truly such a perfect touch, idk why I just love that hit lol.

These drop on 9/29/23 online at bodega. I hope everyone who wants a pair is able to grab them.

See this content in the original post