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Melbourne retailer Up There has reunited with ASICS for a fifth collaboration, this time reworking the GEL-KAYANO 20 into a fluoro-drenched tribute to the model’s massive standing in Australia, where the shoe has built a genuine cult following over the years.
The two brands have been collaborating for 15 years now, and the reasoning behind picking the GEL-KAYANO 20 for round five comes down to simple math: in Australia, the model is so popular that resale prices on original pairs have stayed stubbornly high for years, and Up There took that as license to go as loud as possible with this one.
Texturally, the GEL-KINSEI 4 gets referenced through a two-tone mesh treatment. Layered over it is where things get interesting: a “Safety Yellow” tone that dissolves into white, stretching from the laces down through both layers of midsole foam. Funny enough, that gradient wasn’t the original vision; it actually came from a sample that went slightly off course, and once the team saw it, the planned colorway was scrapped in its favor. Underneath, there’s an ice-colored outsole paired with the TRUSSTIC shank for support. The green Guidance Line returns as a callback to last year’s 12.1 project, and reflective detailing is scattered across the shoe.
It’s the latest chapter for a shop that’s grown well past its original footprint on McKillop Street into a Melbourne institution at 69 Flinders Lane, with a résumé that includes past ASICS collaborations alongside work with New Balance, Needles, and Norse Projects.
The Up There x ASICS GEL-KAYANO 20 releases at the Up There store in Melbourne on August 20 at 10 AM AEST, followed by an online drop the same day at 6 PM AEST, through Up There’s website.
Up There x ASICS GEL-KAYANO 20
Color: Safety Yellow/Pure Silver
Style Code: 1203B288-750
Release Date: August 20, 2026
Price: $300 AUD
