The Tamesis
Welcome to The Scoop: a weekly email series in which I ask fashion insiders about the week’s stories. This will be a way for the Vogue business community to synthesize and reflect on the latest headlines every Friday and get a little inside scoop.
This week’s guest is Anissa Jaffery, Head of PR and Brand Partnerships for EMEA at Asics SportStyle. Anissa is one of those people whose age doesn’t seem to match her experience—in just over a decade, she’s held roles at Karla Otto, Purple PR, Net-a-Porter, Topshop, Calvin Klein, and even an e-bike company called VanMoof.
Anissa joins Asics’ SportStyle division in 2024. Two years later, the company is appearing at Milan Design Week, which kicks off on Monday. I called her to get more details.
Hi Anissa. What is a scoop?
Asics SportStyle will be hosting a three-day pop-up store at Garage 21 during Milan Design Week to launch our new shoe, the Gel Kinetic 2.0. This is our first time attending the Milan Fair, but it is also our first major cultural event in Italy, which has always been a very important market for SportStyle. As of this year, it has also become a focus market for us from a marketing perspective. We believe it is more important to lead with inline products than to collaborate.
What is activation?
This is essentially a trial experience we call Kinetic Playscape. We designed it in collaboration with a design studio in Los Angeles called Nuova Group. Visitors will enter this immersive world of retro-futurism, try on shoes themselves, and feel the benefits of technology as they move through the space. Ultimately, we want people to feel energized and able to move, bounce and jump through space after wearing the shoe.
Can you buy shoes at a pop-up store?
No, there was actually no purchase in the end. We want to focus on the experience. But we work closely with many nearby shops, e.g. [Milan clothing store] Slam Jam, you can buy shoes there if you want.
This may be a silly question, but Gel Dynamics is a new product. Why does it look familiar?
One thing that’s really nice about Asics is that we rarely come out with completely new styles. This is a Japanese term we use internally called Kaizen, which means continuous improvement. As a result, every shoe you’ll see, especially in the SportStyle line, is either a throwback to a classic or a more modern take on a classic. Back in 2021, Kiko Kostadinov debuted the Dynamic Range. Then we made it standard in 2022, and we’ve been building on that model ever since. This is the latest version of the silhouette.
You have had an extensive career in PR and brand communications. What lessons have you learned about building your brand?
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned, which applies to everything I’ve done so far, is to always focus on the consumer. In our industry, it’s easy to become obsessed with things that you personally find exciting and may want to apply that to your own experience. But the real question should always be: “Will this resonate with the audience we want to attract?” Building an emotional connection can lead to stronger, longer-lasting loyalty. Additionally, collaboration is key: the best ideas rarely come in isolation.
When you take on a new product or in the past take on a new customer, what’s the first thing you do?
