KUALA LUMPUR - Having previously released sneakers inspired by some of Malaysia’s most famous cultural icons such as nasi lemak, teh tarik and the Petronas Twin Towers, SneakerLah and Asics have put their feet together again for another collaboration.
This time around, they have paid tribute to one of Malaysia’s most beloved snacks – the popular Mamee Monster.
According to a press statement, the Asics Skyhand OG Mamee Monster sneaker is a “a unique fusion of street style, nostalgia and Malaysian culture, all wrapped up in a design inspired by the iconic crunchy noodle snack”.
This is the fourth such collaboration between SneakerLah – Malaysia’s biggest sneaker event – and Asics.
The first collaboration – the nasi lemak-inspired Gel-Kayano 5 OG Nasi Lemak – was released in 2019, followed by another in 2020 inspired by the Petronas Twin Towers, known as the Gel-Lyte III Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers. In 2022, the teh tarik-inspired Gel-Lyte III Teh Tarik sneaker was released.
According to SneakerLah founder Bryan Chin, the shoe’s design takes inspiration from a fond childhood memory of eating Mamee Monster after school.
“As a small kid, to a teenager, all the way up to adulthood, I think it’s the one snack that I have constantly bought and eaten,” he said in an e-mail interview.
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“In many ways, this project (and past projects as well) is a selfish endeavour to tell stories of my childhood – how a snack (or a dish, or an iconic building) has impacted me growing up and the many fond memories I made over the years.”
This nostalgic moment has been artfully translated into the sneaker’s playful design.
The standout feature is the pale-yellow noodle laces, which resemble Mamee Monster noodles, while the shoe panels come in different shades of yellow tones picked from the colour of the noodle.
Meanwhile, the speckled midsole mimics the seasoning powder that comes with the snack, while the back heel features the seasoning powder’s pack design.
Additional highlights include a blue insole – a tribute to the snack’s instantly recognisable mascot, Blue the Monster – with the Asics logo printed in velvet on the insole.
The shoe also features Blue holding the LAH symbol, representing SneakerLah. The final touch is a stylish deubre lace lock on the front for added flair.
Mr Chin adds that there is one more unique aspect of the design that people might not notice.
“There is a hidden noodle design that is underneath the first layer of canvas, which you have to cut open in order to see it,” he explained. “Not many people would be daring enough to cut it, but if you do, it will reveal a pretty bold and unique noodle pattern.”
Mr Chin said the team faced a few challenges when designing the shoe, the first being trying to make it look and wear like a normal sneaker, while also making it recognisable as a “noodle” sneaker without compromising on the simplicity and wearability of the shoe.
“The second challenge was the noodle laces, which were specially developed by the Asics team for this project,” he said, adding that the final challenge was finding the right shades of yellow. “We took a picture of the actual snack, then took the different shades of yellow from the noodles and plunked it onto the shoe.”
He added that there were many other ideas for the shoe before the team finally decided on Mamee Monster.
“One of them was a Tugu Negara-themed shoe with military-inspired designs and patterns, and another one was Malaysian dessert-inspired sneakers,” he said.
Retailing at RM629 (S$191), the limited-edition Asics Skyhand OG Mamee Monster sneaker will be available at the SneakerLah event from Nov 2 to 3 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur on a first-come, first-served basis, and at asics.com from November onwards. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK