With Olympic events taking place across Paris this summer, the city is undeniably the epicenter of global sports in 2024. In keeping with the excitement, Japanese sportswear giant Asics has launched its Asics House in the 16th arrondissement. The company, which reported sales of  € 3.4 billion last year, has created this space to host athletes and partners, while also showcasing several new initiatives and innovations.

Among the highlights are the Chojo Camp, a high-altitude training center in Font-Romeu, and the eco-friendly Nimbus Mirai shoe. Additionally, the Asics Personalisation Studio offers the capability to create customised soles for athletes within hours. This innovation, developed in collaboration with Dassault Systèmes’ labs in Ile-de-France, represents a significant leap in customisation technology.

Since the late 2010s, Asics has used treadmills in its stores and with partners to analyze customers’ strides and recommend optimal running shoes. The latest project with Dassault Systèmes takes this a step further, introducing a modular system for 3D-printed, customised soles. These soles are designed to match the athlete’s specific morphology, running style, and needs, with a goal to meet demand within an hour.

Benoît Dauchin from Dassault Systèmes notes, “We have achieved proof of concept. There are proven needs for sportspeople. Individual soles can be adapted for performance, injury prevention, or running on specific terrains. The use of virtual twins—a three-dimensional digital representation—allows us to optimise construction to meet the runner’s precise requirements.”

The collaboration between Asics and Dassault Systèmes not only enhances customisation but also promises to increase production capacity, with the studio currently able to produce around fifty products per hour.