The Surprising Revival of Onitsuka Tiger, the Iconic Japanese Sportswear Brand

Last October, during Tokyo Fashion Week, Onitsuka Tiger presented its latest collection. To be more precise, the brand’s Artistic Director Andrea Pompilio unveiled the new line in an amphitheatre at Waseda University.

Although Onitsuka Tiger may be slightly in the shadows today, it is one of the oldest Japanese brands. Kihachiro Onitsuka, a former Japanese military officer, founded the brand in 1946 with the main aim of giving some hope back to the bruised and wounded young people of post-war Japan.

Onitsuka Tiger initially specialised in basketball clothes, then, from 1950, running clothes. The brand became known in the 1970s thanks to Bruce Lee, who wore one of its tracksuits in the film Game of Death. That yellow and black outfit remains ingrained on the memory of many.

In the 1960s, Onitsuka Tiger entered into partnership with Asics. Indeed, it’s thanks to this collaboration that Asics went on to achieve global success. Together, they created the ‘Mexico 66’, trainers which everyone was desperate to get their hands on in the 2000s. They were made especially popular by Uma Thurman after she wore them in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Her costume in the film also pays direct homage to Bruce Lee.

This new collection reveals many sporting influences and mixes nostalgia with modernity. Onitsuka Tiger enjoyed its heyday in the 1970s, with its particularly bold visuals and innovative materials. Today, Italian designer Andrea Pompilio intends to bring this fame back to the sportswear brand once more.