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I cop a lot of Asics, but I had to take it all the way back with some retro-inspired GL3 colorways this time. Latest pickup: Asics Gel Lyte III x Afew “Beauty of Imperfection”.
What is the Gel Lyte 3 OG?
The Gel Lyte 3 OG line recreates the look and shape of the original releases from 1990. Some colorways in this line are indeed “OG” or original colorways, and some are new.
The Gel Lyte 3 is one of my favorite sneaker models of all time and definitely my favorite from Asics. Skip to the end of the article to see where to buy pairs for yourself!
Colorway: White / Orange
Style Code: 1191A266-102
Year of Release: 2020
MSRP: $110
The designer of the Gel Lyte III, Matsui-San, wanted to introduce a tri-density sole unit to the line. This idea was initially rejected by Asics, which before 1990 had only used dual-density.
However, the additional density enhanced comfort for the wearer, and Asics came around to Matsui-San’s vision, finally giving the Gel Lyte 3 the green light.
The popularity of the 3 was high, but as the Gel Lyte 4 and 5 came about, the line started to falter a bit in the public eye. Luckily, retros of the 3 combined with high-profile collaborations brought the sneaker back into popularity in the 2000s and early 2010s.
OG Colorways of the Asics Gel Lyte 3
Colorway: White / Yellow
Style Code: 1191A266-100
Year of Release: 2019
MSRP: $110
The Citron, Purple/Orange, Emerald & Flash Coral are based on original colorways from 1990. These both come in a special 30th anniversary box with a matching 30th anniversary hangtag. The inside of the box shows a message from Shigeyuki Mitsui, the designer of the Gel Lyte 3, as well what appear to be some production sketches. The Citrus colorway comes with yellow laces, the Emerald comes with blue, and the Purple/Orange and Flash Coral come with orange.
The OG colorway pairs all use the same material placement. Basically, the quality levels on these are super basic and not what I would call premium. However, this is appropriate since the pairs are attempting to throw back to the level of materials originally used.
Colorway: White / Blue
Style Code: 1191A266-103
Year of Release: 2020
MSRP: $110
The mesh appears to be a shinier, thicker weave than a typical retro runner GR mesh. Overall, these to me are not “materials” shoes, rather their significance is due to the retro colorways. Other colorways in the OG line that are not actual 1990 colorway retros will have different materials.
Probably my favorite colorway in hand are the Purple / Orange. Yet I find myself wearing the citrons a lot more. I think this is because it is one of the more interesting OG colorways. Additionally, I don’t have too many green and yellow pairs in the collection compared to some of the other OG combos. Regardless, any of the OG colorways make a solid addition to an Asics collector’s box stacks.
Asics Gel Lyte III OG x Nice Kicks “Nice Cream”
Style Code: 1201A460-750
Year of Release: 2021
MSRP: $130
The Asics Gel Lyte 3 Nice Cream is a collab with Nice Kicks & Asics. The shoe is based on Neopolitan ice cream with colors resembling strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. The teal is supposed to represent the glass dish you get the ice cream in.
Special features include a cherry insole graphic, Nice Kicks logo on the backtab, special box and hangtag. These also come with an extra set of laces in teal to match the “glass dish” aspect mentioned above.
The materials are suede with patent leather Asics stripes; there’s both shaggy and smooth suede and the textures here are pretty nice. Overall this is one of the better Asics sneakers I’ve seen in a while and a worthwhile collab to pick up!
Afew x Asics Gel Lyte III OG “Beauty of Imperfection”
Style Code: 1201A479-023
Year of Release: 2022
MSRP: $170
The Afew x Gel Lyte 3 Beauty of Imperfection is a collab based on the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi which is centered on the acceptance of imperfection. I really like the Gel Lyte 3 and I really like this colorway, it has a lot of variation while still being subtle and not overly flashy. I also had yet to own an Afew collab, so this also fills that spot in the collection
Some features on this collab include:
- Beauty of imperfection tag on inside tongue
- Afew branding on left heeltab and Asics branding on the right
- Japanese characters for wabi sabi on the rear of the shoe
- Stitching going up the back of the shoe and extending down through the heel counter, which is actually leather instead of the usual plastic
- Cork insoles with wabi sabi characters and Asics and Afew branding
- Wear away leather on the asics stripes on the side which reveals a pink layer
- Inside facing side panels have stitched outlines of the Asics stripes
- Afew branding on the right rear panel
- Light green laces with purple aglets and a spare set in a different shade of light green with black aglets
The materials are great on these, and I really appreciate the quality here. We get nice soft suede, with some nice leather on the heel counter and even a denim patch on the inside rear panel!
The comfort here is great just like every other pair of Gel Lyte 3s in my collection. I find these to fit true to size with the suede providing a good amount of give.
How Do Asics Gel Lyte 3 Fit?
The Asics Gel Lyte 3 generally fit snug. True to size still works however. Those with wide feet might need to size up to get the split tongue to close over the top of the foot.
Colorway: White / Flash Coral
Style Code: 1191A266-101
Year of Release: 2019
MSRP: $110
In Gel Lyte III and V I wear a 10 whereas in most Asics I’ll wear a 9.5. I went with a 10 for each of these which is the same size I get in Air Jordan 1s and Nike SB Dunks.
I find that the split tongue makes these easy to slide on and off – and is probably the part of the shoe that most sneakerheads need to get used to if they’ve never worn this model before. Still the shoe is very comfortable if you can get the sizing right.
Underfoot, the cushioning is very good for a retro runner technology. I find I can walk for miles in these before my feet get fatigued. The Gel Lyte 3 is definitely good for all day wear as well!
Where To Buy the Asics Gel Lyte III OG?
You can shop Gel Lyte III’s on the Asics website as well as sneaker boutiques and aftermarket websites.
Shop for Gel Lyte IIIs on: eBay
See below for links to buy the pairs shown in this article: