Onitsuka Tiger

Onitsuka Tiger (Japanese: オニツカタイガー, Hepburn: Onitsuka Taigā) is a Japanese fashion brand owned by Asics. It traces its origins to Onitsuka Co., Ltd., a sports-shoe manufacturer founded in Kobe in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka. The company produced athletic footwear under the Tiger name before merging with two other Japanese sporting-goods companies to form Asics in 1977. Following a hiatus, Asics revived Onitsuka Tiger in Europe in 2002 as a fashion brand. During the 1960s, Phil Knight began importing and distributing Onitsuka running shoes in the United States. Knight and Bill Bowerman operated through Blue Ribbon Sports, the company that preceded Nike. Onitsuka Tiger is best known for the Mexico 66, a low-profile shoe whose crossed-stripe design derives from the Mexico line introduced in 1966. The brand also produces clothing, bags, accessories and fragrance. Onitsuka Tiger's sales grew rapidly during the 2020s, supported by demand for retro and low-profile footwear, growth in Europe and purchases by international visitors to Japan. In the financial year ended 31 December 2025, sales increased by 43 per cent to ¥136.5 billion (US$851 million), while its operating profit margin was nearly 38 per cent. In 2026, Asics announced that the business would be transferred in January 2027 to OT GROUP Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary established as the brand's global headquarters.