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Bangkok’s premier sneaker retailer, Carnival, has officially unveiled its fourth collaboration with ASICS, and it might be the most personal one yet. Dubbed “Phra Nakhon,” named after the historic district of Bangkok where Carnival’s story began, this project is equal parts anniversary celebration and hometown tribute.
Established in 2010, Carnival BKK was a pioneer in using social media and online marketing, rapidly growing to 100k Facebook followers in its first six months. Now, fifteen years deep, it has cemented itself as one of Southeast Asia’s most respected sneaker retailers. For an anniversary of this magnitude, a standard colorway was never going to cut it.
The collaboration is on the GEL-KAYANO 12.1 hybrid silhouette, which takes the Y2K-inspired upper of the GEL-KAYANO 12 and marries it to the high-performance cushioning of the GEL-NIMBUS 22 sole unit. The result is a specialized foundation designed for the modern urban landscape while also preserving the retro-performance look. It’s a shoe crafted for the streets of Bangkok.
Up close, the construction is dense with detail. The white base has a crochet-knit upper with traditional Thai Kanok-inspired patterns and subtle multi-colored speckled underlayer, a quiet nod to artisanship beneath all the technical hardware. Primary silver overlays sit atop structured and precise elements, creating a strong contrast between the organic base and the sleek, almost industrial layers above it. The ASICS Stripes run boldly in green along the lateral side, shifting to blue toward the collar, a gradient that draws the eye and ties directly into the blue mesh interior lining peeking through.
The midsole leans into texture too, rough and lived-in, like a shoe that’s already walked the streets it was made to honor; the spray treatment used on it is meant to mimic the raw texture of urban concrete.
A custom Carnival shoe box rounds out the package, dressed in deep blue and a repeating pattern inspired by the traditional Thai Chula kite. There’s also a special version for CARNIVAL Gold Members, which features a hexagonal version of the shoe box packed with a star-shaped Chula kite, a tote bag, and metallic lace charms.
The Carnival x ASICS GEL-KAYANO 12.1 “Phra Nakhon” drops April 4th at 11pm ET via the Carnival website. A wider release will follow on April 17th via ASICS.com (11am ET) and select retailers. Check them out below.
Carnival x ASICS GEL-KAYANO 12.1 “Phra Nakhon”
Color: Cream/Green Basil
Style Code: 1203A916-100
Release Date: April 4, 2026 (Carnival)
Release Date: April 17, 2026 (Global)
Price: $230 USD
Resell: StockX / GOAT
