Staying Ambitious

Carrying Forward the Founder’s Legacy:
Embracing the Challenge of the Future

Over 75 years since its founding, Japan’s Onitsuka Tiger has evolved into a globallyacclaimed fashion brand.
Here, we take a final look behind the scenes to explore thepioneering spirit and vision of the leader behind the brand’s breakthrough.

“With ambitioncomes eternal youth.”

Onitsuka Tiger, founded in 1949 as asports shoe brand, has experiencedtremendous growth over the past decade.Its evolution into a global brand wasprecipitated by the development ofdiverse product lines defined by uniqueidentifying characteristics: HERITAGE,which reimagines iconic products for themodern era; YELLOW COLLECTION, withits avant-garde style; THE ONITSUKA, withits leather formal wear; and OTIGER, withits elegant yet fresh feminine styles.
Behind this timeless breakthrough standsa single key individual. Ryoji Shoda, thecurrent head of Onitsuka Tiger, joined thecompany in 2011 after working at aninternational fashion brand. His goal wasto take the brand and its newfoundfashion-forward fan base, established inEurope in 2002, to even greater heights.
“Previously, when specialist shoe or bagbrands ventured into fashion, they wouldtypically only introduce established itemssuch as T-shirts or sweatshirts, often asone-off efforts. But our goal was tobecome a fashion brand in the true senseof the word. Previously, Onitsuka Tigerwas still seen as a sub-brand of ASICS. Inmaking a clear distinction between thetwo, we aimed to pave our own uniquepath for Onitsuka Tiger.”

To achieve this, Shoda focused on directretail business and expanding the networkof flagship stores worldwide, withoutrelying on the Onitsuka Tiger stripe forbranding.
“It’s important, of course, to continuegiving what people want. But if we aren’tconstantly innovating, we won’t be able toadapt to people’s tastes or changes in thetimes. What’s more, I believe we need tocommunicate directly with our customersas our brand evolves. With this in mind, wedecided that what we needed first was toestablish flagship stores to serve assymbols of our brand.”
Shoda’s proposed reforms provoked avariety of reactions within the company,including some critical opinions. The iconicOnitsuka Tiger stripe had become anenduring icon of the brand’s heritage andhad worldwide recognition and support.There was no guarantee that productswithout the stripe would sell. Moreover,for ASICS, which had built its reputation inwholesale since its founding, focusing onbrand business driven by flagship storeswas uncharted territory.
“Repeating what’s been successful in thepast will never lead to genuine innovation.In fact, I actually saw great potential in theresistance to this new direction.Consensus often means that an idea isalready familiar, whereas dissent points tosomething new—something that’s neverbeen done before. At Onitsuka Tiger, ourslogan is ‘Discover the Difference,’ and Ibelieve that captures the spirit we mustcontinue in as we evolve as a brand.”

At some point, Shoda inherited a piece ofcalligraphy written by the company’sfounder, Kihachiro Onitsuka. The wordsread, “With ambition comes eternalyouth.” The phrase underscores theimportance of maintaining a youthful spiritby constantly embracing new challengesand keeping a clear vision of the future.Onitsuka’s ambitious managementphilosophy remains timeless even today.
“It’s been 75 years now since OnitsukaTiger was created. Its first 25 years weredefined by sports. The next 25 years, it laydormant. And the last 25 years, from its50th anniversary revival to the presentday, have been marked by innovation andglobal ambition. As we approach ourcentennial, the next 25 years are for thecoming generation to write their history.My job now is to support and foster theirnew endeavors and challenges.”