tillmann lauterbach for onitsuka tiger

installation view of tillmann lauterbach’s mexico midrunner’s for onitsuka tiger

german fashion designer tillmann lauterbach has collaborated with onitsuka tiger on two new versions of the mexico midrunner in white/white and black/black for their fall/winter 2010 collection.

tillman lauterbach’s mexico midrunner for onitsuka tiger in white/white profile view

tillmann lauterbach (TL) on his collaboration with onitsuka tiger (OT):

OT: what was your inspiration for the shoe?

TL: my inspiration came from the common, the raw beauty of materials, colour and shape. I wanted to do a shoe that embraces the individual of the person wearing it. the aging process is foreseen, both versions have nubuk leather that marks very fast on their front part, the white version has a black printed tongue to fade into the marks of wearing of the front part of the shoe… the black versions tongue is printed white to fade into the bright marks.

tillman lauterbach’s mexico midrunner for onitsuka tiger in white/white back view

OT: what’s your favorite part of the shoe, where are you most proud of?

TL: there is no favorite part for me, I see the design as one entity. I like the rawness, the apparent stitching…the feeling like having a tailor made costume, on the last day of fitting. the half height of the shoe, like someone just cut off the upper part, finishes that feeling. I did that to most of my shoes when I was young so it makes me laugh that we translate that now to a large scale production.

tillman lauterbach’s mexico midrunner for onitsuka tiger in white/white and black/blck top front view

OT: how do you think our two brands fit together: onitsuka tiger and tillman lauterbach?

TL: both companies couldn’t be more different on a first glimpse: onitsuka tiger/asics is huge, in all terms. tillman lauterbach paris is a very small company, like a laboratory for the high end luxury designers market. we identify ourselves with highly exclusive products and small handmade series as asics offers highly specialised product for a wide range of customers. but if you look closer, the philosophy of both companys is similar. we consider our teams as a “family” and both try to offer the best possible product for our market segment. therefore the fusion of what both brands stand for worked out well on the finished shoe: asics knowhow of shoemaking and our feel for cutting edge design, the minimal borderline aesthetic and the curiosity and joy both our teams had trimming the design and pushing as far as both sides been satisfied. I personaly enjoyed the work a lot, and the result is a shoe I wear almost every day.

tillman lauterbach’s mexico midrunner for onitsuka tiger in black/black profile view