Marvel fans can join Marvel and Kith in celebrating the 60th anniversary of Marvel’s X-Men with a new collection of shoes from ASICS that come with an exclusive trading card from Upper Deck. The assortment spotlights Wolverine, Beast, Storm, Rogue, Cyclops, and Gambit in two colorways, but you won’t know which you’ve received until you open the box!
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What’s Happening:
- In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Marvel’s X-Men, Kith and Marvel are collaborating to create an extensive collection of elevated apparel, accessories, and collectibles—reimagining iconic X-Men artwork through the Kith lens.
- The footwear component of the collection was created in partnership with ASICS. Kith founder Ronnie Fieg designed seven custom versions of the Remastered GEL-LYTE III, each inspired by X-Men characters available in two variations.
- Each colorway has its own unique color- blocking and material execution:
- Beast – This model features a predominantly blue upper crafted from hairy pigskin suede, inspired by its namesake character. The Tiger Stripes are executed in white leather, which complement the white GEL-cushioned midsole and sockliner.
- Cyclops – A mixture of navy, royal blue, yellow and red are applied across the upper. The vamp and quarter panels use sport mesh while the overlays are executed with smooth premium nubuck and leather.
- Gambit – This model is color-blocked using shades of tan and brown with red accents. Premium nubuck is used throughout, with microperforated detailing seen on the vamp and quarter panels
- Rogue – This colorway channels its namesake character’s iconic green and yellow palette, as perforated pigskin suede is overlaid with smooth leather panels. Olive accents are used for the Tiger Stripes and sockliner.
- Storm – Pony hair covers the upper of this model, as a nod to its namesake character’s flowing silver hair. The material is seen in white and grey, while black leather is used for the Tiger Stripes.
- Wolverine 1975 – The colorway of this model is inspired by one of Wolverine’s earliest suits, and perhaps his most well-known, which debuted in 1975. Yellow perforated pigskin suede is seen on the vamp and quarter panels, while smooth leather in blue and black is applied to the overlays.
- Wolverine 1980 – The colorway of this model is inspired by another famous Wolverine suit, which debuted in 1980. Yellow perforated pigskin suede is seen on the vamp and quarter panels, while smooth leather in brown and red is applied to the overlays.
Unbox the Mystery:
- The concept behind these styles is derived from collecting trading cards and the excitement of not knowing which cards may be inside the sealed pack.
- Every pair arrives in a collectible sealed box designed to resemble the Uncanny X-Men trading card packaging. The box also features a perforated artwork design to transform into a display box, resembling how trading card boxes are created.
- Customers will not know which colorway they will receive upon purchase and must remove the tearaway seal on the box to discover what is inside. Inside the box is a heat-sealed mylar bag containing the footwear, as well as a newly created encased Marvel | Kith & Upper Deck trading card featuring the character that matches the model’s colorway.
- As a nod to the original Uncanny X-Men trading cards, the Wolverine 1975 colorway is exceptionally rare. Hologram cards used to be limited to 1 in every 36 cards during the Uncanny X-Men’s original run in 1992. Similarly, the Wolverine 1975 colorway is limited to 1 in every 36 pairs of shoes.
Upper Deck with Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Adds to the Fun:
- Kith and Marvel partnered with Upper Deck with Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) to recreate original renditions of the Uncanny X-Men trading cards from 1992.
- These cards are only available with a purchase of the ASICS and arrive packaged inside the sealed footwear box. Marvel and Kith chose new artwork for each character, while the overarching designs are completely referenced from the original card run.
- Each model of the GEL-LYTE III arrives with a card featuring the character that inspired its specific colorway. These cards also feature Marvel and Kith co-branding as well as foil application, denoting its incredibly rare and custom quality.
- Each character card has eight color variations which have been randomly distributed among the units of footwear, thus adding rarity levels within each pair. The rarity of these cards vary, including 1-of-1’s, 1-of- 10’s, and more in increasing numbers.
- Each card is encased, as three come in one-touch cases while the other five arrive in very special PSA graded slabs.
- Kith worked with PSA to create a special co-branded casing for five of the eight card colors, which marks the first time in PSA’s history that another brand’s logo will appear on the grading tab.
Where to Shop:
- The Marvel | Kith for X-Men – 60th Anniversary Collection will release early exclusively at San Diego Comic Con from July 19th to 23rd.
- The Marvel | Kith & Arcade1Up for X-Men console will release publicly on Monday, July 24th, at 11AM EST on Kith.com and the Kith App.
- The entire Marvel | Kith for X-Men – 60th Anniversary Collection will release publicly on Friday, July 28th, at all Kith stores, 11AM CET on EU.Kith.com, 11AM EST on Kith.com and the Kith App.
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