The 10 Best Asia-Exclusive Sneakers of All Time

For as long as sneakers have been around, regional exclusives have always been a thing. While these types of country-specific releases can be an absolute pain in the backside, especially when you live on the other side of the world, it’s just one of the many reasons why the sneaker game is as fun as it is. Imagine you could cop your favourite sneakers from the comfort of your own home. There would be no thrill of the chase, and your holy grail just wouldn’t be as, well… holy.

When you think about it, Nike wouldn’t even exist today without regional-exclusive sneakers. After graduating from the University of Oregon in the ’60s, Phil Knight immediately travelled to Japan, where he was particularly impressed by Onitsuka Tiger. As these weren’t available anywhere else around the world, Knight made it his mission to secure the distribution rights for the U.S., and the rest is history.

With all that said, we’re going to take a second to look back at some of the best Asia-exclusive sneakers ever made. From limited edition Air Force 1s to ultra-rare Jordans, you need to check these out. Oh, and while you’re here, be sure to hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and let us know which ones you have in your collection, as well as which ones you dream of owning one day!

Air Jordan 3 Retro “Seoul” (2018)

In 2018, Tinker Hatfield and Dan Sunwoo teamed up for the special edition Air Jordan 3 Retro “Seoul.” Not only did it celebrate Michael Jordan’s slam dunk contest victory in 1988, it also commemorated 30 years since the South Korean capital hosted the summer Olympic Games.

Inspired by the Taegukgi, the pebbled base and red and blue hits pay homage to the South Korean flag, while a healthy dose of elephant print surrounds the toe and heel. “Seoul” in Hangul is written on the inner left tongue, while the ’88 Summer Games’ motto “Harmony and Progress” features on the other one. As regional-exclusive as it gets, this AJ3 was only available at Nike Korea and the Jordan Brand store in Hongdae.

Kith x Nike Air Force 1 “Tokyo” (2020)

To celebrate the opening of his Shibuya flagship, Ronnie Fieg unleashed the Kith x Nike Air Force 1 “Tokyo” in 2020. A nod to CO.JP releases from the early ’00s, these Forces are packed with stunning details that you would naturally expect from the New York City streetwear imprint.

From the Kith monogramming along the side panels to the pre-aged Air midsole, these look like they’ve been pulled straight out of the archives. Of course, as this sneaker is exclusive to Japan, it takes heavy inspiration from the Hinomaru. Not only does the country’s flag feature on the tongue tags, the white leather upper and red velvet sockliner combination is also an obvious nod to this.

Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Fade” (2020)

Kanye West’s Yeezy brand isn’t really known for region-exclusive sneakers, so when the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 “Fade” was unveiled to be an Asia-only pair, sneakerheads from across the world were left aghast.

One of the most underrated colourways in the adidas x Yeezy repertoire, it boasts an earthy Primeknit upper complete with a blue-ish monofilament mesh stripe that shoots across the lateral side. Originally released in 2020, these have become pretty grail-worthy over the past five years.

Nike Air Max 95 Premium QS “Mt Fuji” (2019)

Back in 2019, Nike gave Sergio Lozano’s signature sneaker a Japan-exclusive rework with the Nike Air Max 95 Premium QS “Mt Fuji.” While the AM95 might not be that popular in other parts of the world, Japanese sneakerheads absolutely adore this silhouette, especially due to its British roadman influences. In fact, while most countries think of France or Italy when discussing the pinnacle of fashion, those in the Land of the Rising Sun believe that England is where it’s at.

Nodding to one of Japan’s sacred mountains, this Air Max 95 boasts a snow white leather construction with “JUST” and “DO IT” printed on the lateral and medial sides, respectively. A graphic of Mount Fuji can be found on the tongue, while the bottom of the shoe is embellished with “Tokyo” in kanji.

Air Jordan 1 High OG CO.JP “Midnight Navy” (2001)

In the early ’00s, Jordan Brand had a habit of releasing ultra-hyped colourways that were only available to the Japanese market, and the Air Jordan 1 High OG CO.JP “Midnight Navy” was one of them.

Introduced in 2001, they boasted a leather and suede construction that was made to stand the test of time. They also arrived with a special jewelled winged basketball logo around the collar and a metallic silver Swoosh on the lateral and medial sides. While sneakerheads outside of Japan watched in dismay, the highly coveted AJ1 finally received a global re-release 19 years later in 2020.

Nike Air Max 1 “Chinese New Year” (2020)

Nike is certainly no stranger when it comes to CNY-inspired sneakers. In fact, the Beaverton brand went above and beyond in 2020 with the aptly named Nike Air Max 1 “Chinese New Year.” Taking design cues from traditional porcelain bowls, each leather panel has been intricately detailed with a variety of motifs and patterns that perfectly represent the Chinese art.

This is all done up in patent leather as a nod to the glaze used in ceramics and painted in a vibrant palette. Of course, you can’t talk about this China-only AM 1 without mentioning the characters stamped across the pink mudguard, each one symbolising luck, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth.

Pharrell Williams x adidas NMD Hu “China Pack” (2018)

During the height of Human Race NMD hype in 2018, Pharrell reunited with adidas for the Pharrell Williams x adidas NMD Hu “China Pack.” Consisting of a total of four colourways, each one represented the four natural elements, including water, metal, fire, and wood, with “Peace,” “Happiness,” “Passion,” and “Youth” embroidered across the Primeknit uppers, respectively.

While these China-only sneakers were already extremely limited to begin with, the second colourway was definitely the most exclusive pair. Unlike the other three, this one featured gold-plated EVA plugs along the Boost midsole. Official numbers have never been announced, but we expect them to be well under 1,000 units.

Nike Air Force 1 “Shibuya Halloween” (2019)

You’ve never celebrated Halloween until you’ve celebrated it in Japan. Renowned for its crazy parties and wacky costumes, citizens of Shibuya go the extra mile at the end of October, and to pay homage to this, Nike released the Nike Air Force 1 “Shibuya Halloween” in 2019.

A masterpiece in materials, the AF1 features bold orange pebbled leather along the front, clear panelling across the toe box and quarter panels, and glossy black patent leather around the heel. Speaking of which, “SBY” branding is embroidered here, complete with the district’s skyline.

Mita x Nike Dunk Low CO.JP “OnkoChishin” (2004)

Back in 2004, Tokyo-based boutique Mita gave the Air Force 1 its own spin on things. While this was long before many sneakerheads were even born, the retailer decided to do it again in 2017 with the Mita x Nike Dunk Low CO.JP “OnkoChishin.”

Based off one of the AF 1’s original samples, it features an ostrich leather and glossy patent construction that was unlike anything we had seen before. Widely regarded as one of the best non-SB Dunks ever made, while a re-release doesn’t seem very likely, never say never, right?

CLOT x Nike Air Force 1 “Rose Gold Silk” (2020)

And last but not least, we have the CLOT x Nike Air Force 1 “Rose Gold Silk.” Covered from heel to toe in genuine rose gold silk, which wears and tears away over time, this Asia-exclusive creation from Edison Chen and Kevin Poon is still considered to be one of the best AF1 collaborations even after two years.

Decorated with ornate Chinese patterns across the upper, the result is a sneaker that blurs the line between a piece of footwear and a piece of art.