ASICS Tiger GEL-PTG 'Blender'

March 1997 saw the birth of a new store in the city centre of Venlo, in the Lomstraat, the so called ‘Duitse Hoek’ (‘German corner’). The store was called ‘Blender’, named after the renowned skater Neil Blender. It sold skateboards, shoes, clothing and everything else needed for the activity and lifestyle. Venlo housed a few different skate cliques and the birth of Blender and the recent renewal of the Nolensplein created the perfect spot for the gathering of local and outside skateboarders. A scene was born and Blender was the centre for the growth of the local skateboarding subculture and encompassed everything from skateboarding to graffiti, breakdance, art and music. Blender might have been way ahead of its time by not only being a place for products, but more so a place for togetherness and meeting one another. Blender and its community contributed as much to a lively city centre as the skateboarding scene did around the world. Now, 20 years later, Calico Jack and ASICS Tiger are bringing an ode to the good old Blender days with the release of a second SMU in the form of a GEL-PTG. A luscious brown suede upper on an off-white midsole graffiti’d in the same light blue hue as the empty pools in which skateboarding was founded. In addition, the package features a t-shirt with a photo taken of Blender and its regulars on the very last day. Memories.